


The Jacket

by WhereIsTheBlack



Category: Chicago Med
Genre: F/M, Humor, Relationship(s), Rheese - Freeform, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2018-06-04 16:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 61,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6665662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereIsTheBlack/pseuds/WhereIsTheBlack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>RHEESE FANFIC. Reese/Rhodes Slight AU. Reese feels something for the handsome new doctor, but could he feel the same? *Story better than the summary, I swear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Jacket

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like this fic! I don't own Chicago Med or any of its characters.

She was so naïve. So stupid. Of course she had to be interested in the new doctor. But why? They didn’t know each other. She didn’t know him… yet she felt like she did. He moved around like he knew exactly what to do and where he was going. She, on the other half, felt completely lost.

Now that she and Joey had broken up, and the issue with pathology kept stressing her beyond relief, all that she wanted was to go to her apartment, curl into a little ball and watch some TV.

She walked up to the nearest water container and filled her paper cup halfway after an exhausting day of work. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she clumsily spilled some of the liquid on her scrubs. She mentally chastised herself as she dropped the cup in the trash can and proceeded to the ladies room, only to run into Dr. Charles.

-Reese! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. - He said almost out of breath, like the encounter had surprised him. He had his portfolio and stethoscope in hand, ready to head for the exit.

-It’s alright, Dr. Charles, I wasn’t paying attention on where I was going. If you’ll excuse me…- she said making her way past him.

-Are you ok? - He asked with some concern, making her stop.

She blinked her eyes twice, a little confused. –Of course, why wouldn’t I be?- It’s not like she showed anyone her concerns. Not because she didn’t appreciate help, but because she just didn’t want to bother anyone with her issues.

-Just checking, kid. - He replied, sympathetic. –See you tomorrow.-

Sarah just waved goodbye and continued to her destination. She thanked the Heavens that the bathrooms were empty. She didn’t feel like making small talk right now. It had been a very though day: She and Dr. Choi had been working hard on a new patient, but despite her efforts to help find a diagnosis and to stay unattached, she kept messing up. She had failed to prescript the patient the right antibiotics, which didn’t look good on a fourth-year student. Luckily Dr. Choi intervened and corrected her on time, but she knew she had disappointed him… and most importantly, she had disappointed herself. Pathology definitely kept looking like a far more suitable choice for her.

After she cleaned herself up, she left the ladies’ room, headed to the locker room, grabbed her stuff, and headed to the nearest exit. She usually parked her car in the farthest parking space so she didn’t have any trouble while taking off… but today she desperately wished she had parked near the entrance. Though it was the middle of May, the night was freezing and the cold air made her regret not bringing a jacket with her.

The sound of a car trunk slamming shut made her jump. She turned towards the noise, exhaling slowly as her eyes caught the silhouette of Dr. Rhodes. He had changed from his scrubs into a black leather jacket, a red shirt and grey jeans. Sarah couldn’t help but notice that he looked really attractive. He caught her looking his way and smiled.

-Hey, Reese. Heading out? - He said while throwing his white coat on the passenger seat.

-Um, yeah. I was just released from my shift. I was just going to my car…- she said pointing to said car trying to act nonchalant as she clumsily tripped over her words and she mentally chastised herself.

-Got any plans for tonight?-

She shook her head no.

-Dr. Choi and I are going to Molly’s, want to join us?-

Sarah didn’t really wanted to refuse his offer, but after considering how things were with Dr. Choi right now, she decided she needed a break from him, at least until tomorrow.

-It’s okay. I’m calling it a night. Watch Netflix, or something. - she said shrugging her shoulders.

He smiled.-It’s only eight of clock, you know? -

She matched his smile, but then frowned slightly and looked down. She didn’t want to fill him in on all of the things that were worrying her.

-Hey. You okay?-

Sarah looked up to see his concerned expression.

-It was a busy day. - She finally replied, sighing and forcing a little smile.

-Yeah. It was. –

He suddenly noticed her shivering, for which he took off his jacket. As she saw him starting to remove it, she shook her head nervously.

-I’m okay, I was just leaving anyways. Please, keep…-

-Your car is at the other end of the lot. You’ll freeze. - He finalized.       

He took her stuff from her and placed it at the top of the trunk. He handed her the jacket with a small smile and crossed his arms, waiting for her to put it on.

Sarah just stood there, dumbfounded.

-I’m not leaving until I see you put it on.-

-It’s seriously not necessary. Besides…-

-Reese, if you’re not doing it for yourself, then do it for the patients. What will happen if you get a cold? You’ll infect everyone. - He said, knowing that this would get to her.

And it did. Sarah didn’t waste time in adjusting the piece of clothing to her. Once she put it on and took her hair out from under it, she looked up to Connor smiling broadly.

-What? - She asked confused.

-It looks good on you.-

Sarah couldn’t help but feel herself blush profoundly, praying to the Heavens above that the darkness of the night would make it unnoticeable.

-Thanks. - She said meeting his gaze.

-Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. - He said after he handed her stuff back to her and then approached the driver’s seat. –I’ll trust that you’ll take care of the jacket? - He said as more of a question that a statement.

-Ok. I mean, yes. I’ll take good care of it...- she replied nodding.

-Good. It’s my favorite.-

Dr. Rhodes waved goodbye at her and left, leaving her standing on the middle of the lot, surrounded by hundreds of empty vehicles. It took her a while to take in what just happened, finally smiling to herself. She instantly noticed that the jacket had a distinct smell of leather mixed with cologne. His cologne.

She grinned, shaking her head as she made her way to the ends of the parking lot, hugging the jacket tightly to herself, thinking that maybe this day hadn’t been so bad after all.

  


	2. The Bagel, Cake and Coffee

 

 

The next day came along tougher than she had expected. She had been paged to come into work one hour early, apparently because of a school bus accident. Her pager kept beeping as more and more requests of help started coming in. She showered quickly, got dressed, grabbed her stuff and keys, and left the apartment. When she was halfway down the stairs, she mentally kicked herself when she was reminded of the jacket: she had forgotten it on the couch.

After some seconds of debating internally if whether she should go back and get it, she finally decided against it.

_The jacket can wait._ She concluded, heading faster towards her car. She was already running late and she knew that she would be reprimanded for it.

* * *

 

As soon as she set foot on the ER, she felt a wave of stress and emotion hit her when she saw the chaos that was going on: children hurt and crying, doctors crowding the room, moving patients on stretchers, nurses running in every direction. She knew she couldn’t stay on the sidelines. She had to help.

She quickly put her stuff aside and adjusted her white coat and washed her hands on a nearby emergency sink. She approached April, who was almost straddling a boy who refused intervention and continued wailing despite April’s calm words, trying to relax him.

-What can I do to help? - She asked breathlessly.

-Dr. Rhodes is going into surgery. They’ll probably need help there. - She replied dismissively, all of her attention on the boy in front of her.

Sarah didn’t waste any time and made her way into the rooms in wait for the operating room. Once she got there she saw Dr. Rhodes, Maggie and several doctors and nurses trying to stop the bleeding on a man’s shoulder. A metal bar had punctured it from side to side.

-What happened here? - She quietly asked Maggie as she put on her gloves.

-The driver got the worst of it. I need you to help steady his heart rate. Two doses of disopyramide. - replied a blonde doctor coldly, whom Sarah didn’t know.

She furrowed her brow, but did as she was told and added the medication into his IV. The driver stopped breathing as fast and instantly relaxed.

-I need a CTA of his chest, ASAP. Figure out exactly what’s bleeding. - added the doctor to one of the nurses, who left hurriedly.

-We got to get him on his back before we take him upstairs. - said Dr. Rhodes, his gaze on the man’s injury, and extended his hand to receive an electrical cutter.

Sarah noticed the cutter and instantly recognized the instrument. -Oh, are you going to use the…-

-Yes, he is. Can you hold the patient steady, please? Thank you. - interrupted the blonde doctor arrogantly.

Sarah met Maggie’s gaze, who didn’t seem at all happy with the blonde’s behavior towards Sarah. Sarah closed her eyes once, as if trying to tell her she was okay.

Dr. Rhodes cut into the bar, so that the patient could rest on his back flatly, and set the piece aside.

-Alright, we’re going to flip him over onto his back, gently, on my count. 1… 2… 3. - As she said three, the doctor, Rhodes, Maggie and Reese moved him.

-Alright, let’s start to patch him up. Newbie, start a femoral line.-

She knew she had deliberately put her on the spot and instantly felt the pressure of her watching her on the back of her neck. She knew the procedure, but she also knew that she couldn’t mess up again. So she carefully placed the materials on top of the sheets and started unfolding what she needed. She wasn’t even halfway through when she felt being pushed aside.

-I got this. - Said the blonde doctor, irritated.

Sarah stepped backwards and visibly gulped. She thought she had been doing okay… but this doctor didn’t seem to notice any of her efforts.

She noticed Maggie started to get more pissed off about it, but Sarah very well knew that this wasn’t the time or place to start an argument. Her eyes met Dr. Rhodes’s, who also looked annoyed by the sudden and rude intervention.

-Reese, - he called, – get over here and help me split the glass to keep it still.-

Sarah immediately went to his side and got into action, using her index fingers.

-One wrong move on the way, and he could have a massive hemorrhage. - He said calmly, but firm.

Sarah’s gaze briefly left what she was doing and stared at Dr. Rhodes. He looked confident enough to let her do this, and she was decided to not let him down. He trusted her. And that’s all she needed.

* * *

 

The hours went by and the school bus patients, one by one, were taken care of until there was none left to attend at the moment. Sarah cleaned her forehead with the back of her sleeve and pushed away some hairs from her face. They had been taking care of patients for the last twelve hours, without any time to rest. She felt weak, dizzy and hungry.

She decided to go to the cafeteria and sit down for a while. Once she got in, she sighed. There were almost no empty places for her to sit, because of the families of the children occupying them. She spotted Dr. Manning who was reading and distractingly eating a sandwich alone in one of the far corners, so she went over to where she was.

-Can I join you? There are no other empty places.-

Dr. Manning quickly looked up from her book. –Reese. Hey. Sure, sit. - She said motioning to the chair in from of her with her sandwich.

Once she sat, she rested her face on her palms and sighed.

-It was a hell of day, huh? - said Natalie with a weak smile.

Sarah just nodded without breaking her stance.

-Have you eaten anything yet?-

-Was just about to. What are you eating? - said Sarah crossing her arms on the table.

-PB and J.-

-I thought they didn’t make those here anymore? Not being a healthy example of a meal and stuff? - replied Sarah almost whispering.

-I guess I have pregnant woman privileges. - She said laughing and resting a hand on her belly.

Sarah smiled.

-How long until…?-

-Four weeks. I seriously can’t wait for him to be born.-

-You really love him. - concluded Sarah, smiling.

-That, and I want to be able to lay on my stomach again. Sleeping on my back is getting annoying.-

They both laughed.

-What’s so funny over here? - said Will, taking a chair turning it around and sitting so that he could rest his arms on the backrest.

-Women things, Dr. Halstead. You wouldn’t understand. - lied Natalie still laughing, brushing him off.

-Well, Dr. Manning. - He stretched the name. –Then I’m not that sure I want to know.-

They kept talking for a while until Sarah felt her stomach was going to eat itself, for which she got up.

-I’m getting something to eat. Do any of you want anything?-

-Actually, we’re leaving. Will and I have a… an appointment to attend to.-

_Yeah, an appointment like a date,_ thought Sarah.

-Okay, I’ll see you guys tomorrow then.-

-Take care, Reese. - said Will.

She saw the line in the cafeteria and decided that it would be faster if she ordered something from the little food shop near the hospital. Her mind replayed the events of that day as she walked towards the exit. How that awful doctor had treated her, how Dr. Rhodes had trusted her with the procedure… He was so grateful to him.

-Hey, Reese.-

She whirled around at the sound of his voice. He was wearing blue scrubs and his stethoscope hanging from around his neck.

-Hi, Dr. Rhodes.-

He just smiled sympathetically at her. –How are you?-

-I’m… great? - She lied. She was still a little bit moved by everything that had happened today.

Connor looked at her disbelievingly –Sarah, I know you’re not. What Zanetti did was out of line. She was angry at me and tried to get me through you, and I’m sorry.-

Sarah stood quiet.

-Why was she angry at you? And why take it out on me?-

-I don’t know. She can be a little… special, sometimes.-

-Special, huh? - She turned her back on Connor and crossed her arms, trying to focus on the menu board. She felt him move to stand by her side.

-At least let me get you anything. It’s the least I can do for what happened.-

-You already did something when you called me to help you. - She said, relaxing. –You don’t own me anything. - She looked at him and saw sincerity.

-Come on. Tell me what you want.-

She sighed and looked back at the board. She knew he wouldn’t let this go.

-A green salad- she said to him.

Connor smiled at her, amused and shook his head. –Seriously? All you want is a green salad?-

-Yes, and make it a small one.-

Connor laughed and proceeded to the counter, but to Sarah’s surprise, he started ordering something completely different

-Can I get a ham and cheese bagel, no bacon, one peppermint coffee with whipped cream, a piece of chocolate cake,  AND a small green salad?-

The man nodded and walked away to get the food.

-I hope that what you asked for is for you…- warned Sarah.

Connor just winked at her once the food arrived, and handed the money to the worker.

-Sorry. I just ate. - But before Sarah could protest, he took off sprinting towards the hospital.

-Anything else, miss? - said the man, but Sarah kept staring at the place where Rhodes had just been, a small smile growing on her face.

-No. That’s all I’ll be having, thank you.-

* * *

 

After leaving the hospital, the fourth-year medical student arrived, exhausted, at her apartment. As soon as she got in, her phone vibrated, making her groan, but was instantly more alert when she saw the name of the sender. She slid her thumb on the screen and a little message popped up.

You still have my favorite jacket.

Sarah quickly typed back.

I’m sorry. I forgot it on my apartment this morning. I’ll hand it over tomorrow.

She threw her phone away, filled a glass with red wine and headed over to her sofa. She heard her phone vibrate again, and reached out to it. She couldn’t help but smile widely at the message, but didn’t reply back, finally letting herself drift away on the couch.             

No rush.

* * *

**Leave a comment or review! :)**

 

 

 


	3. The Advice and The Baby Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! :)

Monday mornings usually passed by with ease. There were almost no new patients since the bus incident, and Sarah only had to come in that day to check lab results. She took a long shower, thinking that she had less and less time to call her decision on pathology. She ran her hands through her hair, letting the water soak it. It was true that she had felt more confident since Dr. Rhodes had called her up, but she was still afraid. She had always imagined herself as a lab person. And now, suddenly, there was a doctor who was pushing her in a completely different direction, pushing her buttons and mixing up her feelings. She didn’t know where to go anymore. She knew she demanded too much of herself, but she had always been like that. She always had to be the best to herself.

She sighed and got out of the shower. She got dressed as in a daze, brewed some coffee, took her stuff and the leather jacket, and took off. She had slept only four hours, which she knew contributed to her feeling more stressed. She shut her eyes tight for a brief moment before opening them again, trying to stay awake, took a sip from her coffee, and continued driving.

She arrived at the hospital which was crowded, as usual, with incoming no patients. It’s like the place never rested. Never slept.

She hurriedly made her way to the locker rooms to then head out to the lab. Contrary to the other areas of the hospital, Sarah enjoyed spending time at the lab. It was always so quiet and precise. Nothing could go wrong there. She only had to calculate exact portions and add the right bacteria or chemicals into samples. The process had structure, unlike handling a patient, where each time everything was new and unexpected.

She kept walking to the locker rooms but almost bumped into someone. Someone that made her throat dry and her heart beat as if it would burst out at any second.

-Careful, Reese. - He said instinctively, extending and hand to her elbow as if trying to prevent her from falling.

-Dr. Rhodes. Sorry… I… here. - She mumbled after organizing in her head what to say and trying to breathe normally.

Connor looked at her with an arched and eyebrow, smiling.

-Here?-

She shook her head and handed over his jacket, not realizing that she hadn’t. -Your jacket. I’m returning it. –

Sarah could’ve sworn she saw him drop his smile a little, but the expression was covered quickly by a bigger smile.

-Glad it helped. - He said taking it and throwing it over his shoulder.

Sarah forced a smile and then continued walking, only to be stopped by the elbow by him.

-Hey, what’s wrong?-

Sarah looked up at him, annoyed, and shook her arm from his tender grip. –What are you…?-

-Reese, I can read you like a book. What is it? - He pressed on.

Sarah took a step back, upset, and crossed her arms. She looked at the floor.

-Tell me what’s wrong. - He insisted, stepping closer to where she stood.

Sarah refused to look at him. She knew that her resolve would crumble then and there if she did. She had spent a great amount of time trying to push the issue away, and until now she was fine. She could deal with it on her own. She didn’t want to bother anyone with something that was really not that important. I wasn’t even something she should be worrying about that much.

-Reese. Is this about pathology? -

His stern and worried voice finally made her look up, tears filling her eyes. He looked into them, and seemed visibly surprised. He didn’t move and neither did she. That is, until she felt ashamed and overwhelmed by every thought in her head. She felt she had to leave.

Connor anticipated this, so he spoke quickly.

-Come with me? I want to show you something.-

-Dr. Rhodes, I can’t, I have to…-

-Please. -

He didn’t say it as an imploration or plead. He just said it, closing his eyes, his tone serious.

Sarah sighed, biting the inside of her cheek, and looked down again. -Where?-

* * *

 

They had gotten to the fifth floor. He had taken her to one of the coma rooms. When she looked through the glass panel, she saw a teenage boy lying on the hospital bed. There were fresh flowers on each of the side tables, showing that evidently he had frequent visits.

-Why did you bring me here? - She said finally looking at him. He looked tense.

–This is an older patient of mine. - He said, not looking at her. –When I was a med student, a bit older than you, this kid arrived at the hospital, nothing too complicated: he had an ear infection, a rash, a cold, and a headache. I was supposed to diagnose him… but the symptoms started getting worse by the hour. His defenses were so low, I couldn’t stabilize his vitals.-

Sarah kept looking at him, quiet and expectant.

-It was a case of a rare brain tumor. By the time I figured it out, the damage was already beyond repair. - He sighed heavily. –He fell into a coma.-

Sarah didn’t say a word. She just continued to stare through the glass panel.

-I didn’t know how to deal with it at the time. The heaviness of what had happened haunted me every day, and every night. - He paused. –One day of his parents’ visit, I knew that I needed to apologize. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to say. I just knocked on the room’s door and was face to face with the kid’s parents. I, the doctor who didn’t save their son. His father looked at me, put a hand on my shoulder, and simply said: “Son, it’s okay. There was nothing you could’ve done. We forgive you”.-

-Why are you telling me this?-

-Because you will have good days, and bad days, Reese. - He said, finally looking at her. –You will have the worst trials a person will ever have to go through. You will have to make really tough decisions. But you are very capable of making those decisions. You are strong, and smart, and ready for this job. It’s okay to feel afraid of people. It’s okay to be afraid of messing up. What is not okay, is taking the easy way out. You don’t quit. You move on, and keep helping so many other people.-

Sarah kept quiet, her arms around herself. No one had ever been this truthful and sincere towards her. No one had opened up with her the way that he had.

-Why do you care so much? That I stay or leave?-

She saw him hesitate a split second. -Because I know what you can do. And we need more people like you.-

Their eyes finally met, and Sarah wiped at her eyes. He was right. She couldn’t keep running away like she had been doing. She still had a lot to think about, but Connor’s words had certainly helped.

-Thank you.-

* * *

 

The end of the day came, and Sarah was ready to leave for home. She felt calmer now. More centered. She passed by the ER and spotted April, who signaled with her hand to come over.

-Hey, April.-

-Shhh, girl you didn’t hear this from me, okay?-

Sarah furrowed her brow. –What is it?-

-Apparently there’s something going on between Dr. Halstead and Manning? - She whispered almost aggressively.

Sarah shook her head, smiling. -April, that’s no news…-

-Why didn’t you tell me? - She said surprised, whacking her with a patient’s file on the arm.

-Hey! I didn’t know either! I just, kind of figured it out.-

-Well, anyway. That’s not the point. I heard that Dr. Halstead, who told Dr. Charles, who told Dr. Choi, who told Dr. Rhodes…-

-April, the point.-

She rolled her eyes and pursed a smile. –They’re throwing Dr. Manning a surprise baby shower!-

-Really? Why didn’t I know this? - She said, confused.

-Maggie just told me as well. Today, at nine, Dr. Rhodes’s place.-

Sarah felt her blood drop to her feet. –Dr. Rhodes’s place?-

-Yeah, so nice of him, right?-

-Right... - She responded. She had always wondered what his house looked like, and couldn’t help but feel curious about it.

-See you there, then? - said April.

-Of course… I guess I’ll go home and change then. - She said smiling. She felt much happier than she had felt that morning, and knew that a small gathering could only do her good.

Once she got to her apartment she took a shower, washing the smell of hospital away. She wore a little red dress, and let her hair down, but she didn’t bother with much makeup. She then grabbed her phone.

Why didn’t you tell me about the shower? She typed to Connor, curious.

Her phone vibrated almost instantly. Forgot? Sorry. Was too busy convincing you to stay ;)

She smiled and shook her head. Fine. Should I bring anything? She checked the time: eight fifteen.

The phone vibrated again. Everything’s covered.

That being said, and after asking his address, Sarah got into her car and drove away. It took her fifteen minutes to arrive at the house. It was white, with touches of wood. It looked modern and kind of pricey to her, so she double checked if she had gotten the right address. Once she verified, she parked around it, so her car wasn’t visible, and got down to rang the bell.

Connor opened the door and Sarah’s breath got caught in her throat. He was wearing a black button-up shirt and grey dress-pants. If she had ever felt attracted to him, it didn’t compare to the way he looked right now.

Connor too seemed to be transfixed by her. She was wearing her hair down, and a red dress. She looked quite a bit older than she really was. Much more mature and centered. She looked confident.

-You look beautiful. - He said finally.

The words shook her out of her trance and she blushed a deep shade of red. Connor seemed to notice this and couldn’t help but smile.

-Come in. - he said, stepping sideways, letting her pass. –The others won’t be long.-

His phone started ringing, so he answered it, not before telling her to make herself at home. But how could she? Her “home” was only a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room and bathroom. It certainly didn’t have a fancy backyard a bar or balcony. She kept staring in awe at her surroundings, trying to take it all in. She spotted Will, coming in from one of the rooms, carrying out a box of balloons and decorations.

-Hey, Reese. Could you…? - He said motioning to the box.

-Sure! - She said, helping him organize all of the things he had brought.

-It was Choi and Maggie. - said Connor putting his phone on his back pocket. –They’ll be arriving in fifteen minutes.-

Sarah nodded, -I’ll text April.-

Will left for a moment, to get the cake which was still in his car.

After everything was set, Sarah kept looking around.

-Do you like it? - Said Connor, noticing her curiosity, but proceeding to the kitchen to pour out some wine for her.-

-It’s incredible. How long have you lived here?-

-A few years. – He said, handing her the glass. She took a sip and savored the taste on her lips for a second, relishing on the taste. This was exquisite wine.

She looked up from her glass and met Connor’s gaze, eyeing her lips. But after a second, he looked straight into her eyes as well. She felt awkward and cleared her throat a bit, but didn’t move back.

-I guess I should thank you again. What you told me earlier… I know it wasn’t easy for you. And it helped me, really… So… thank you. - She said, stumbling over the words.

-Don’t mention it. - He said with a small smile, still looking straight into her eyes.

They were several inches apart, and Sarah thought the time had stopped. Both kept staring into each other’s’ gaze. They were both alone. Searching. But she didn’t know what she was looking for quite yet. She felt as in a trance. Like she was in another dimension. Lost in his eyes. He looked briefly at her lips again…

The sound of the door clicking open made her jump. Will came in, humming happily with the cake in his hands. Connor cleared his throat and stepped back, giving her one glance before helping him settle the cake on the counter.

Sarah stared into space, confused. _What had just happened?_ Or more specifically: _What would have happened if Will hadn’t come in?_

The door rang again, interrupting her thoughts, revealing Maggie and Dr. Choi and also Dr. Charles.

-Where’s April?-

-She’s coming with Dr. Manning. It’s all part of the plan.-

Suddenly the door rang one more time. Connor hurried to turn off the lights and Will’s voice whispering that they quickly hid filled the room.She hid behind the couch, placing both hands on it so that she could keep balanced. Her right hand brushed something and quickly retracted it, unable to see.

-It’s just me. - said Connor, an amused tone in his voice.

Once the door clicked open, the lights turned on, showing a very confused Natalie and a beaming April.

-Surprise!-

Natalie instantly screamed, and then laughed, making everyone else, including Sarah, laugh hard.

-You guys! What are you…? I thought someone had broken in! - She said a hand on her stomach, protectively. Will approached her, laughing, and picked her off her feet, holding her to him and making her laugh again and start punching him lightly on the arm to put her down.

Sarah contemplated the scene with joy. She noticed Connor watching her briefly, and she looked his way from across the room. He raised his glass in her way, so she did the same, enjoying the moment and pushing away, for now, the doubts and confusions that filled her head.

 

 


	4. The Incident

**WARINING: This chapter is Rated M for strong language, violent content and attempted rape.**

* * *

The gathering had ended up late. By 2 a.m. Sarah was exhausted, and felt that if she wanted to get to work on time, she needed to leave and rest. Though she had little to drink, she and everyone else knew very well the risks of driving under the influence and saw the consequences of it almost every day at the hospital, so she asked April if she could drive her home.

Once they both arrived at her apartment, Sarah, knowing that April lived almost half an hour from her place, insisted that April stayed and rest as well, to which she agreed. They had both started to get closer with time, and now seemed to be good friends.

The next morning Sarah was pleasantly woken by the smell of fresh orange juice and pancakes. She groggily got up from her bed, put on her glasses and made her way to the small kitchen like a zombie. April was awake and ready for the day, happily humming to a Taylor Swift song. She was wearing her running outfit and shoes, and had her hair swept in a ponytail, making Sarah wonder exactly how and at what time she had left for a morning run. As soon as April placed a piece of bacon on one of her frying pans, Sarah scrunched up her nose and backed a step.

-Remind me again why you don't like bacon? Honestly girl, you are seriously missing out. - said April smiling once she had spotted her out of the corner of her eye.

-I've told you… it's like a string of grease. And besides, you end up smelling like it all day long. - She replied as she made her way opening windows.

April shrugged her shoulders. –Your loss.-

April put the food in a small tray and made her way to the sofa, followed by the med student. –By the way… Care to share what exactly happened last night, moon eyes? - She asked as she sat down.

Sarah froze –What do you mean?-

-Girl, come on. - She replied rolling her eyes. –I could see the sparkles exuded between you and Dr. Rhodes in the air. - She said with her mouth half full, waving her fingers like she was spreading pixie dust.

Sarah ran her hands though her hair and rested her face on her palms. She had absolutely no idea what was going on, but she knew what April was taking about.

-I seriously don't know what's going on. I just kind of… liked him ever since I met him. But I don't know him, April. I barely know why he's here with us at the hospital. How can I like someone I barely know?-

-Well, how can you not? He's kind and honest, an excellent doctor… and hot.-

Sarah scoffed and playfully smacked April on the arm, who yelped a little and almost spilled her juice on the carpet.

-But seriously though, he's a nice guy. You may not know him that well, but that's how relationships are built. Getting to know the other person and having experiences with them, good and bad.-

Sarah kept looking at the floor, pondering on what the nurse had just said.

-Look, I know that when Joey left you, you got hurt… but it's been months since that. - She said sympathetically, taking the girl's hand in hers. – Not everyone is going to act the way he did, and it's okay to open up to someone else. You just have to give yourself and that other person that chance.-

Sarah looked up from their hands, scrunching her face. –Since when did you become so sentimental?-

April scoffed. –I'm a nurse. We need to be very sentimental sometimes. You should try it sometime. It lifts up your spirit, - she said jokingly.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but smiled in appreciation. April winked at her and they both continued to enjoy their breakfast.

* * *

Once they arrived at the hospital, each woman got to their main area and got to work. Because she was still a med student, Sarah had to spend several hours in the E.R. tending to incoming patients, and helping with physiotherapy. This day was no different than any other.

Sarah got to the E.R. and occupied herself with the new patients. She spotted Dr. Manning who waved at her while she was passing by. It was weird, but she somehow felt that she was beginning to feel included among her peer doctors. She obviously had a lot to learn still, but it was nice that things were starting to change. She shuddered involuntarily as she recalled the first week she began to work at the hospital and how alone and out of place she had felt. That is, until _he_ arrived and started to change everything and everyone.

-That doctor sure is sexy, huh?-

Sarah blinked when she heard what the man had said. She had been attending him for fifteen minutes now, and could certainly recognize he was under some sort of substance. His look was foul and he reeked of sweat and something that Sarah couldn't identify. His bloodshot red eyes looked aggressively at her, as if he demanded a response. He then looked back again towards Natalie and eyed her up like if she was a piece of meat.

-Is she single?-

Sarah cringed internally.

-She's married, - she lied. –As a matter of fact, she had three children and another on the way. - She added, hoping that maybe that would take the man's mind out of the gutter.

-Huh. I guess that don't matter. Bitch with a face like that… nobody would care. - He slurred.

Sarah was slightly taken aback by the insult, but kept quiet and kept checking his blood pressure.

-So how many of you bitches work here?-

Sarah bit the inside of her cheek. –I'd prefer if you watch your language Mr…- but she was interrupted by his laugh.

–And why would I do that? You put yourselves in that position. A woman should stay home and tend to her husband. She only needs to wash dishes and please whenever she is needed.-

-Well, if we stayed at home, no one would be taking care of you right now. - Sarah couldn't help but spit back. Her tone was angry, and she knew that it had shown, and the man had noticed it too.

-Men can do it. You know, _real_ doctors. In fact, I want a real doctor to attend me, not a lazy-ass nurse.-

-I'm not a nurse.-

-No, you're a skinny bitch. Now go get me a doctor.-

Sarah clenched her jaw. –Sir, there are no other doctors available. If you would just let me…-

-I said, get me a doctor. - He said beginning to stand up.

-Sir, stay down. - She warned, scared, and stepping back.

-Are you fucking telling me what to do? No stupid woman orders me around! - He looked at her, but his eyes were so glossy Sarah wasn't sure he could actually see. She saw him pick up a scalpel and point it at her, like if she were a threat to him. At this point, the nurses and patients all watching the scene quickly started moving and calling security.

She stepped back, her hands raised in warning and few tears rolling freely, but her stern expression didn't change. If she showed fear, there was no telling what this man could do. She had to keep her stance.–Sir, you are not okay. Please stay back and...-

Sarah felt it more than saw it. A quick and brusque slash in the air. Only it wasn't in the air. The slash had gotten her arm. Blood started pouring quickly and in large amounts from her sliced up skin, and the impact had pushed her to her knees. The sting got worse by the second, and Sarah couldn't help but react to it.

Once she looked down, she felt a violent kick to her ribs. She felt her head bounce on the floor and something inside her crack, and immediately gasped for air. She hadn't been this scared in her entire life. Fear prevented her from seeing straight. She felt the man's hand on her head, pushing her down, and the other groping her though her white coat, and fear crept and set on her stomach. She knew what was going on and tried to crawl away from him, but she couldn't move. The oxygen in her lungs started to decrease, making it almost impossible to concentrate on anything else. Why didn't anyone help her?

She then heard an angry yell from another man's voice and blurrily saw how the man was tackled to the ground by Dr. Halstead. She turned lightly and saw Will beating him senseless. Sarah felt herself be turned on her back, so that she was facing upwards. The pain was unbearable.

-Reese, what happened? What hurts?-

She could barely distinguish Dr. Rhodes's anxious voice and silhouette and tried to respond, but couldn't. She felt hands again on her, trying to unbutton her white coat and moving across her torso and she flinched away from them.

-Sarah, I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay, sweetheart. – He soothed. He slightly pushed her blouse up, revealing the damage.

-I need a stretcher and the O.R. ready right now!-

Sarah could only make out a few of the scenes of what happened next. She heard Dr. Rhodes anxiously talking to other doctors, and felt herself be moved to a stretcher and was forced to wear an oxygen mask. She then felt a sting on her other arm, which she knew it was from a syringe. She tried to keep herself awake, but kept hearing that everything was going to be okay. Then everything went black.

* * *

She woke up feeling completely disoriented. The bright light of the room made her want to shield her eyes with her arm, but she couldn't move it. She blinked twice and looked down at her body. She had her arm and torso tightly bandaged. She wasn't wearing her clothes, but a light blue patient gown. She was hooked on an IV.

She took in her surroundings: She was in the hospital. _Her_ hospital. She even recognized the room.

She felt herself jump when Doctor Choi came into the room. He must not have expected to see her up, because he stiffened at the sight of her. After a few seconds he relaxed his posture, and walked towards her with a brief smile.

-How are you feeling Reese?-

She didn't answer. Images of what had happened started flooding her, and she instantly decided that she didn't want him to see her like this. She knew that she had messed up again, and right now couldn't deal with his reprimands.

-I'm sorry. - She finally said, turning away from him.

Doctor Choi didn't move. He felt guilty that she felt the need to apologize to him. –Sarah, what happened was not your fault. You are not to blame or be accused of anything. That man, - at the mention of him, Sarah cringed and a shiver ran back her spine. –was not well. He was on drugs, and now has been taken into custody. It could've have happened to anyone.-

Sarah processed what he said, but didn't feel comfortable talking about this to him. She wanted to see _him._ She wanted Connor here.

-Can you please page Dr. Rhodes? I want to ask him about my injuries.-

Ethan felt a little disappointed, but nodded his head. –He's not at the hospital right now, but I'll page Dr. Manning.-

Sarah frowned lightly but agreed to what he had said. He smiled again and left the room, leaving her alone for a while. She tried raising her arm, but the pain felt unbearable. She didn't want to be here. She couldn't. She had things to do.

-You're awake.-

Natalie's voice made her turn to the entrance of the room. She looked tired and… very pregnant. Sarah sighed at the sight of her. She hadn't been out for a long time then.

-How long was I out?-

-Four days.-

Sarah closed her eyes hard.

-You had a punctured lung, Sarah. Three broken ribs, a laceration and a concussion. He has been charged on attempted murder… and sexual assault.-

She felt a tear roll from the corner of her eye. How could she be so stupid?

-I don't know what you must be feeling right now. - Said Natalie approaching her carefully. - But I know you. And I know that you tend to be very hard on yourself. You probably think that what happened is your fault, and I'm here to tell you it's not. That asshole could've reacted that way with any of us. - She gulped. –I know you stood up for me, and…-

-Don't feel responsible. - Sarah warned. She didn't want anyone else to perish because of what had happened.

-I don't. - She responded quietly. She spotted the chair next to the bed and carefully sat on it. –There are people in this world who are just bad. He was on drugs, Sarah. You could have been talking about the weather and he would have still reacted the way he did. He would have still tried to…- The words weren't said, but Sarah understood. She understood that he would have tried to rape her.

Sarah sighed, but nodded. The last thing she needed to do was play the victim. She needed to be strong for everyone else. But the tears kept falling from her face. She couldn't stop them.

Natalie sighed. –Dr. Charles, Will and I agree that you should talk to a psychologist...but I figured it would be best if you talked to Connor first.-

Sarah frowned –Why would you say that?-

-He spent every night on this chair. He was forced to leave so that he could get some sleep, but he barely left you side.-

* * *

**What did you think?**

***I do not take rape, rape attempts, rape culture and violence to women lightly. This is something that should never be encouraged and must definitely end. Please be mature and respectful in your comments.***


	5. The Visit

 

**Okay, this chapter is pure grief and fluff. Enjoy! (I don't own Chicago Med or any of its character. I'm also not a doctor.)**

* * *

A few knocks on the door got her attention from the book she was reading. It hadn't been easy being a patient. She was used to moving around all day and being busy with patients, tests, physiotherapy, lab results… she could go on and on. But now that all she had to do was stay in her hospital room and rest, she had had plenty of time to think about what happened, about how it had affected her, and how it would affect her decisions. She had tried not to think the incident would influence her choosing pathology but she couldn't help it. All of what happened seemed to point it in its favor. But she knew making hasty decisions would only make things worse. She needed a break from thinking. She wanted to leave.

-Can I come in? - said a head subtly peeking through the door. Of course it was him… Sarah had been anxiously expecting his visit.

-Of course, Dr. Rhodes.-

He made his way in, reveling from behind him a small bouquet of flowers that made a light blush creep onto her cheeks. Even when she was almost killed, he could still make her blush. He could still make her feel lightheaded and… special. He placed them carefully on her bedside table and sat slowly on the chair beside the med student. He looked at her intently, but didn't say a word. Sarah knew there was some sort of conflict in his mind because of his changing expressions. He cleared his throat, but still, nothing came out. Sarah felt pained seeing him like this. She somehow felt guilty.

-How are you feeling?-

-Better. - She said silently.

Connor nodded, and intertwined his fingers. He placed his hands beneath his chin and sighed.

-I'm sorry I wasn't there on time. I'm sorry I…- his eyes were glossy, and Sarah knew she had to stop him.

-Hey. - Sarah she said placing her uninjured hand on his forearm. Connor took it on his, examining it and slowly drawing light patterns on it, his mind still elsewhere. Sarah felt herself relax, but she needed him to know that he was wrong.

-Don't do that. - She said sternly, but not retrieving her hand.–Don't come here, and take the blame for things that were out of everyone's control. It won't help. It'll only make things worse. - She rasped out. –It's not your fault. If anything, I should have been more alert…-

-Sarah, you're not to blame for anything…-

-And neither should you. - She added abruptly. -Or Dr. Manning, or Dr. Halstead. No one is to blame. This was beyond all of us.-

Connor looked at the floor, his hands still holding Sarah's uninjured one.

-I wanted to kill him. - He revealed, surprising her. –I wanted to rip him apart. If it wasn't for Halstead, I…- he cut himself off. -I want to make him pay. I want to make him suffer.-

-I don't.-

He looked at her, confused. –Sarah, he hurt you. He tried to…-

-I know. Yes, I want him to pay for what he did. He must pay. He can't go around doing what he did, but I don't want revenge. It won't help me… or him, or anyone. I just want justice to be made. If I let myself feel that kind of hatred, I know I won't come back from it.-

Connor shook his head, angry. She saw the muscles in his jaw clench, and she instantly retrieved her hand from his. He noticed her get a little scared, and relaxed.

-I just… don't understand how you can let this go.-

-I'm not letting it go. I can't. This will haunt me for the rest of my life. - She said, a few tears forming in her eyes. –But I won't let myself get wrapped in it. I have to try and move on. It's the first step for me to be okay. - She wasn't sure if what she had said was the right way to handle it, but she felt at peace with her decision. She didn't want to hold anger with her forever.

Connor didn't look at her, but he seemed calmer now. Sarah knew that this wasn't easy on anyone, but she had to try her best to keep everyone at peace.

-If that's what you want, that's what I'll do. - He said finally looking at her. Sarah saw the same sincerity she usually saw in his eyes and sighed, grateful.

-Thank you.-

-I still think you have to talk to a psychologist.-

Sarah sighed. –I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.-

-I know, Sarah, but it's important. Like you said, it's one of the first steps for you to be okay.-

Sarah grimaced. It's not that she didn't liked psychologists. In fact, she respected their profession entirely… but she was scared of what she might feel reliving what had happened. She felt scared of opening up to someone she didn't know. She felt… ashamed.

-I can go with you if you want. - insisted Connor.

-No… it's okay, I'll go. But you have to promise me one thing.-

He looked at her, expectantly.

-Promise that you'll release me.-

Connor furrowed his brow. –Sarah, you're not ready to be released yet. You've only been here a few days…-

-I can move my arm now. - She insisted. –See? - She said moving it around. She felt a sting, and flinched a little, making Connor smile briefly. -My ribs are healing with the antibiotics, and I no longer need a breather. Keeping me here is a waste of time and money. I want to leave. - She said, decided. –The more I stay here, the more I think about it, and the worst I feel. I need to be somewhere else. I want to go home.-

Connor sighed. –Reese, I can't.-

-Please. - She insisted again, making his resolve falter. As a doctor, he knew that he couldn't make that decision. But Sarah was practically a doctor herself. If she was absolutely sure...

He sighed. -Can you walk on your own?-

-Yes.-

-Have you been doing you physical exercises every day?-

She nodded again.

-Fine. I'll release you this afternoon. But you have to see a psychologist today. I'll set your appointment at five. And you have to take your meds, and attend physiotherapy every day. And you definitely have to take a week off, understood?-

-Yes, Dr. Rhodes. - She said in a patient-like tone.

He smiled and drew a few hairs away from her face and tucked them behind her ear. She felt her heart pounding in her ears and a shiver run down her back. She saw him do what he did at the party: He kept staring at her lips, and she felt the air in her lungs decreasing, only that in a good way. She felt herself get nervous. It was only now that she noticed that her hair was a mess, and she was wearing a thin gown that surely didn't look at all appealing. She came out of her thoughts when he looked back up to her eyes again.

-Take care, okay Reese?-

She gulped and nodded.

-Don't forget, today at six. Appointment with Psychologist Alice Clarke.-

She nodded his way, and he left. She released air she didn't know she was holding and closed her eyes, bringing her arm up to cover her face. What was he doing to her? How could he make her feel this way? Dizzy and lightheaded… and at peace. What were his intentions towards her? Did he like her as well? She felt confused.

She lay back down thinking about what just had happened and started to mentally prepare for her upcoming appointment. Today was going to be one hell of a rollercoaster.

* * *

The hours went by and Sarah eventually talked with Alice Clarke. They discussed briefly what had happened and she insisted that they saw each other every week. Alice had mentioned the possibility of her having unwanted flashbacks and anxiety… all part of post-traumatic stress. She gave Sarah her number in case of an emergency, and wrote down a few tips of what to do if she felt anxious or stressed.

Sarah was drained both mentally and physically. By seven in the afternoon, she was released by Connor under the terms they had talked about, and she had asked April to head over to her apartment and get her some clean clothes and some hygiene products. When she got back, and after Sarah had showered, she insisted on driving her back to her apartment.

As they were leaving the hospital, Natalie and Will said goodbye and hugged her carefully. Maggie also came up to her as well as some other nurses and wished her well; Dr. Charles and Choi insisted that she called them if she needed anything, and even chief Goodwin gave her a few words of comfort. Everyone was there. She turned slightly and saw Connor resting on one of the faraway doorframes, wearing his OR clothes, smiling her way. Sarah returned the gesture and finally left.

April stayed a few hours with her, talking about nothing and everything and making sure that she felt okay. She knew she felt exhausted and wanted to clear her head and relax, so she left some time later and let her rest. A few minutes later, her phone vibrated, showing a message from Connor.

Did you get home okay?

She typed back slowly, using only her left hand. Yes. April just left. Thanks for everything.

Don't mention it. Everything okay with Clarke?

Sarah sighed. Yes. Gave me her number in case of an emergency.

Okay. Sleep well. Call me if you need anything.

Will do, thanks.

By ten thirty, she decided to redress her bandages and then to head up to bed. Her injuries started to cause her discomfort, so she took her meds and lied down, hoping that sleep would overcome her, but it didn't. She kept tossing and turning unable to feel herself comfortable. She walked around her apartment for a few minutes and then lied down again. She felt so tired, but unable to sleep. The incident still haunted her, but how couldn't it? She remembered everything distinctly: his smell, the color of his shirt, the flashing lights… she felt her brain replaying everything in slow motion.

She shook her head, turned on the lights and got up again, but she tripped with the covers and was brought down to her knees. Then everything turned black: she was brought down to her knees just like when he had slashed her arm. She felt it immediately start pulsing with pain. She then felt backwards, panic washing over her. She felt it. She felt his boot on his ribs, cracking them so that she couldn't breathe.

She gasped for air. Her lung. It had been pierced. She felt everything again: the fear, the hopelessness, the pain. The only difference was that there was no one here. She was supposed to be safe.

She started reassuring herself that she was fine. She tried her breathing exercises, but she couldn't control herself. Fear made her way into her veins, making her blood boil. He was there. She could feel it. He was around. He was going to finish what he had started.

She panicked and crawled through the wooden floor, gasping for air. Her eyes turned red, and some stitches stretched open from her arm and torso. She felt the wetness of her own blood stain her shirt, but she still kept crawling. She had to get away. She needed her phone and call for help.

Once she reached her living room, she retrieved her device and started punching numbers. She put her phone to her ear, but it didn't ring. She quickly dialed the number again, and this time he answered.

-Sarah? Are you okay?-

A hoarse breath was the only thing that left her mouth, alarming Connor.

-What is it? What's wrong?-

She gasped for air, difficultly letting the words out. –Help me. - She whispered.

-I'm coming over, okay? Don't hang up on me. - Sarah heard his frantic voice. She tried to warn him that it wasn't safe. That he was around, but couldn´t.

-Don't hang up, okay? Stay with me. Try to calm down. Try to breathe. - He then started imitating a breathing rhythm for her to follow, and that seemed to calm her more. Her stabilizing breath opened up her voice.

-H-he's here. He has come for me. - Realization hit her and she started crying.

-Everything's fine, sweetie. You're safe. - He comforted her.

She shook her head, wildly. –No! He's here… I felt it! - She felt anxiety begin to take over her again, and cried harder.

Just then, she heard the engine of a car outside the building. She heard a car door shut among the silence of the night, and footsteps begin to climb the stairs.

-Sarah, I'm coming up. What number is your apartment?-

The question seemed to distract her from her undesired thoughts.

-One sixteen, fourth floor.-

-Can you open the door for me? - She felt his breathing unstable, like if he were running.

She didn't respond. She felt something take over her and she quickly made her way to the door, getting it open after a few tries and flinging herself into Connor, crying hysterically, and disregarding the pain from the recently opened wounds.

Connor held her close to him, and they both let themselves fall to the ground.

-It's okay. - he said caressing her back, one hand holding the back of her head and getting lost between her curls.–It's okay, I'm here.-

She kept crying into his chest unable to control herself, holding onto him for dear life, so he carefully picked her up in his arms and walked into her room. He placed her carefully in her bed and started checking her injuries which turned out to be not that bad. He debated on taking her to the hospital, but he knew that might set her off again. As he started to leave for the bathroom and get a first aid kit, he felt her grab his arm.

-Sarah, I'm going to get a first aid kit, okay? I'm not leaving you.-

He quickly searched the bathroom for clean bandages, gauzes, and crept into the kitchen for a glass of water.

When he got back she had stopped crying, but was still curled up with her arms around herself.

-I'm going to redress your bandages, okay?-

He switched on the lamp light as well as the remaining ceiling ones, making her eyes squint.

-I need you to lay on your back. - He said as he rubbed his hands in alcohol. Once she complied, he sorted the bandages and gauzes. –I'm going to lift your shirt up a little bit and clean your stitches. This is going to hurt a little. - Sarah didn't answer, but once Connor applied the alcohol, she hissed, becoming more alert. She took in her whereabouts and noticed Connor's presence clearly for the first time. Her head was pounding, her ears ringing.

-What…-

-You had a panic attack. PTSD kind. You must have done something to have triggered it, remember what? - He asked calmly, trying to distract her from what he was doing.

-I… yes. I fell on my knees earlier. - She swallowed. -I remembered when…-

-I know. - He soothed. He then began working on her arm, re-bandaging it.

-All done. - He said, putting the first aid kit on her bedside table. He looked back at her, who was still curled up.

-I don't know what happened. - She whispered. –I was fine, and then all of the sudden…-

-Don't think about it. You went through severe exaltation, you need to rest.-

She felt tears forming in her eyes. –I can't. I tried, but I can't.-

Connor looked at the girl in front of her. She looked so fragile and so messed up. And none of it was her fault. She had simply been a victim. He felt anger crawl inside him put he pushed it away. She needed him right now. He looked at his watch: 2:43. It was late, but he knew he couldn't leave Sarah alone. He definitely shouldn't have released her in the first place. Not before a psych. evaluation. He stopped beating himself up when he heard Sarah crying silently.

-I'm staying the night. I'll be on the couch. Try to relax. -he finally said, turning off the lights. Sarah nodded but continued to cry to herself.

Connor kept awake hoping that Sarah would eventually fall asleep, but that wasn't the case. She carried on crying, and he felt something in his gut ache. He couldn't bear to hear her like that. After a few minutes, he got up from the couch and reached her room. He quietly crept under the covers and held her close to him. She continued to cry, balling his shirt in her fist, and Connor felt a wave of grief strike him.

-It's okay, baby. Let it out. - He said continuing to run his hand through her hair, trying to calm her down. –Just let it all out. I'm here, okay? I'm not leaving.-

-Thank you. - Sarah breathed out after minute or two.

Connor couldn't help but kiss her temple. He wanted to keep her safe. Even if that meant staying up all night watching over her.

* * *

**Touchy feely Dr. Rhodes... -w- What did you think?**


	6. The Fight

**Here's an early chapter! I won't be posting until next week, so enjoy!**

* * *

A voice woke her up from the little sleep she had gotten, making her open her eyes, alert and scared. She instantly relaxed as she took in her surroundings… and remembered whom she was with. She had woken up by Connor's voice, who was practically whispering over the phone trying not to disturb her.

"Yeah, she had a pretty rough night. I think I'm going to stay and keep an eye on her." He said and then paused, waiting for the other person in the line to answer. "No, I don't have any appointments today. Call me if any of my patients need me. Thanks, Nat."

He hung up and Sarah closed her eyes again, not ready to face the day. She was curled up into him, relaxing with the ups and downs of his steady breathing. How could she even begin to apologize for what had happened last night? Had he even slept at all?

She sighed heavily as she recalled the events of the past night. She had never lost control of herself like that, and it scared her to death. What if it happened again? Connor wouldn't be there to help her every time something happened. She felt weak and exhausted. Her eyes felt glassy and dry, and her throat felt like it had been scratched with sandpaper.

She tensed a little when she felt Connor's hand caress her hair again.

"Reese? Are you awake?"

The girl opened her eyes and looked up only to be met by Connor's bluish-grey ones. He smiled worriedly at her and continued to caress her tresses lightly, but Sarah turned away from him, facing the nearby wall, wrapping her good arm around herself in the process. She felt so ashamed and vulnerable. She felt she had no power over herself.

She felt the mattress rise up a little and heard Connor walk over to her side. He kneed down so that they were face to face.

"Sarah?"

"I need to stay back at the hospital, don't I?" she mumbled, not actually looking at him.

Connor sighed. "I'm afraid so. It was very unprofessional of me to let you go just like that. You need a psychiatric evaluation."

Sarah closed her eyes again, coming to the conclusion that she didn't want to make things complicated for him or anyone, so she ultimately nodded her head.

"I know this is difficult, but it's for the best. I want you to be okay." he said, sincere.

Sarah opened her eyes again and only then noticed how tired he looked: he had bags under his eyes, and his expression lacked energy. She then sat up, noticing how messy her hair was, and felt embarrassed.

"Here" He said handing her a glass of water, which she gulped down quickly. She knew all of the crying must have left her a little dehydrated and swollen. She looked down at her arm for the first time and noticed the finely wrapped bandages.

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

Sarah nodded, unable to speak. She didn't want to talk about it. She couldn't. At least not yet.

"Thank you... For everything. And I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Hey, there's nothing to be sorry for, okay?" he replied, searching her eyes.

Sarah finally looked at him and nodded. He noticed his grey shirt was wrinkled, probably because of her dried tears.

"Don't you have to be at the hospital right now?"

"I took the day off." He shrugged.

"You don't have to-"

"I want to." He interrupted her. "Come on." He added, getting up from the floor. "Let's make you some breakfast."

* * *

As Connor cracked open a second egg and let it fall into the frying pan, she couldn't help but let out a small smile. She was resting with her head on one arm, watching with curiosity the way he cooked for her. She still hadn't said a word to him. But what could she do? Start small talk about how she had completely lost her mind? Talk about the weather? Her head was killing her and she felt moody.

"Natalie sends good wishes" said Connor after a while trying to break the tension that had set between them, adding ingredients to the eggs as he went.

"Good wishes?"

"Yeah. She says she hopes you're feeling better."

"You called her?" She asked curiously. "Why?"

"I briefed her in on the situation."

She somehow felt surprised by the revelation. It's not that she didn't trust Dr. Manning, but this was something that she had wanted to deal with herself without getting everyone involved. She didn't want anyone to know what had happened… she felt ashamed as it was. She didn't think that Connor would have told anyone about it.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

Connor stopped what he was doing. "It's important for them to know what happened and that you're okay." He replied noticing her getting defensive.

"And why didn't you ask me first if I wanted anyone to know? Didn't it occur to you that maybe I don't want that?"

Connor looked at her unbelievingly. "Sarah, you were in no condition for me to ask-"

"Since when do you make those kinds of decisions for me?" She spat back. She didn't know why it had gotten to her, but she felt anger beginning to boil inside her, ready to be discharged.

"I'm not deciding anything for you. I simply briefed your superiors on what was going on. People need to know." he said, raising his voice.

"And who are you to brief them in? Who are you to call whom should know?"

"Reese, what's the matter with you? I only told Natalie."

"And soon everyone will know because of you! How do you think I find knowing that the next time I walk through those doors, people will start whispering behind my back, knowing that I have lost my mind? Do you know how much I worked on getting a good name to work in that hospital?"

"Sarah, calm-"

"Don't." she said, raising her hand. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down, okay? I have been through HELL this past week and the least I want to hear is to calm down."

Connor closed his mouth and looked at her, his fists balled at his sides.

Sarah looked at the ground, jaw clenched. She felt so angry at him… but didn't exactly know why. He only wanted to help her. He had spent the night watching over her, had barely slept and was still here, awake and tending to her. She hugged herself and sighed, still not looking up. She realized she wasn't angry at him, but at herself. She hated feeling like she was something that if mishandled, would break.

"I think it's best if I go. You seem a lot better now." He said turning the stove off and walking out of the kitchen to get his stuff from the couch.

Sarah looked up and noticed that anger had gotten into him too, and instantly chastised herself.

"Dr. Rhodes…"

"Your pills are on the counter. Make sure you change your bandages at four and try to get some rest. I'll tell Dr. Charles you're staying the night for evaluation."

Before Sarah could even reply, he had left her apartment and left her alone. She sighed at the wall in front of her, angry at herself. Why had she reacted in such an immature way? This was not like her. She knew that both of them lacked sleep, but still, that wasn't an excuse to her behavior. He had been so kind to her, and had gone above and beyond everything to help her feel better… to make her feel safe. Why on earth would she repay his efforts like that?

She ran a hand through her hair and walked back into the kitchen. She scraped the now burnt eggs into the trashcan and threw the pan into the sink with force.

She felt fresh tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

How could she have been so stupid?

* * *

The hours went by and soon the light started to fade. After she had composed herself and spent some time organizing her work and schedule, Sarah headed back to the hospital. Not that she wanted to in the slightest, but she had to do it. She owed it to herself… and to him.

She took a cab instead of driving. As she got out, the dark and coldness that now surrounded her made her remember the night when Connor had lent her his jacket, and she couldn't stop an involuntary smile that had set on her face. She walked through the parking lot where the cab had left her, walking through the rows of cars and noticed Connor's was still parked. She sighed heavily. As much as she had thought about him all day, she didn't want to see him right now. Not when he was angry at her and she knew it was all her fault.

She crossed the hospital doors, readying herself to be bombarded with questions or looks from other people… but nothing happened. Everyone noticed her arrival, but continued to work on their business. April and Maggie waved at her happily, and Sarah generally explained that she would be staying the night, keeping all details to herself. She said goodbye to them and left for the room she had been staying in, preparing mentally for her first evaluation.

She kept thinking that everything she thought might happen (the looks, the gossip) had all been in her head. For a moment she had left herself feel like she was back in high school all over again: frequently watching her back for the girls who were mean to her and expecting slurs and nicknames thrown at her. But she was over that now. She had worked through it. Why did her insecurities resurface that morning?

She shook her head while she was walking, looking at nothing in particular… but then she noticed Connor heading out of one of his patients' rooms. He was smiling, but as soon as he saw her, she distinctly detected his smile fall a little. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks, hurt by his expression and feeling remorseful. Connor gave a half-smile her way and left in the other direction.

Sarah gulped. She had clearly messed up that morning… she was sure of it now. She reached her room and sat on the bed, her head on her hand, thinking about how she could amend for how she had acted.

"Hey kid. Good to see you're back." said Will happily from the door, but sobered up when he distinguished her expression. "You okay?"

"Why is it that everyone calls me kid?" She replied, not looking at him. She had drawn her feet to her and had wrapped her good arm around her knees. "I'm not a kid."

Will smiled and made his way into the room and sat beside her. "What's wrong?"

Sarah sighed. "Nothing."

"That didn't sound like nothing."

Sarah looked up, slightly annoyed. "If you must know, someone hates my guts."

"Who? Rhodes?"

Sarah looked down again. "Dr. Manning told you, huh?"

"Actually no." he said a little bit confused and making her look at him again.

He looked outside the door like if he was going to reveal her an important secret, and she looked out too, interested. He then lowered himself so that they were on ear level. "The nurses. They know everything." He whispered.

Sarah scoffed and rolled her eyes, but let out a smile.

Will let out a laugh. "You couldn't have done anything that bad. Come on, spill." He said pretending to be a girl ready to hear a piece of gossip.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but decided it might actually be good is she got another perspective. Besides, Will didn't look like he was going to drop the subject, so Sarah basically retold the events of last night, skipping some details. She told him that she had disappointed Connor this morning, and how she had felt vulnerable and powerless. She didn't know what was it about Will that made her open up so easily. Perhaps it was because he had always been supportive of her and treated her like a friend, and if Sarah dare said, maybe more like a sister.

"…and that's why he hates me right now."

He nodded to himself before answering. "Well, what you did was certainly… shitty."

Both chuckled at his conclusion. "Yeah… it was pretty shitty."

"Don't get me wrong, I know that what you went through must have been..." he stopped himself. It was still a touchy subject to talk about so openly. "I mean, I can't even imagine…"

"It's okay." She reassured.

He took a breath. "You went through hell with this. But there are people who would go there with you and would do anything in their power to take you back. It would be best if you showed those people you are thankful for their efforts." He said lightly.

Sarah kept quiet.

"You are not alone in this." He added, almost interrupted by his pager going off. "Try to remember that." He winked before standing up.

"Thanks, Dr. Halstead."

"What are friends for?" he said before leaving her be.

Sarah smiled at the comment, but then sobered as she came to the realization that she needed to speak to Connor. As soon as possible.

She got up from her bed, but as she did, Dr. Charles arrived for her evaluation, paperwork in hand.

"Hey Reese, Dr. Rhodes filled me in." He noticed her standing up and frowned. "Are you going somewhere? Why aren't you wearing a gown?" he said motioning at her attire with his pen.

"Dr. Charles, I know this sounds confusing, but I need to excuse myself for five minutes."

"Where are you-?"

"I'll be right back."

She left the room without giving him any chance to protest. She had to see him… and she had to see him now. She had to fix things between them.

Sarah walked into the direction in which he had left when she had last seen him: the stairs to the roof. She tried to climb them fast, but did what her bruised body allowed her to. She quickly opened the doors, her face colliding with a cold gush of wind. She scanned the area lit by the moonlight only to be disappointed.

Nothing.

"Reese?"

She turned at the sound of her name. He was there, looking at her in a confused manner. "Aren't you supposed to-?"

"I'm sorry." She interrupted him, making him dead silence. "I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning. There's no excuse for how I treated you."

Connor walked closer to where she was, listening intently.

She gulped. "You're the only one who has helped me, who has been with me though all of this, and it's not fair for me to treat you the way I did. I was foolish, and immature… I wasn't thinking straight. I was angry, and I took my anger out on the wrong person, at the wrong moment… and I'm sorry."

Connor didn't reply. He simply stood in front of her, not actually looking at her.

"I just wanted you to know that." She finally said, her hands fidgeting at her sides. "How sorry I am. And that I will try my hardest not to push you out again." She added, hugging herself.

When she saw he didn't respond, she turned away to return to her room, only to be stopped by a hand to her wrist. She looked down and then at him.

"Reese, I want you to understand something very clearly." His eyes met hers. "I would do anything to keep you safe. And nothing you can do or say can change that."

She kept quiet a few seconds, processing what he had said.

"I know."

Connor used her hand as a lever to subtly pull her in closer to where he was. He looked closely at her, concentrated on her features. Sarah felt she couldn't move. She didn't dare to. The closeness made her dizzy, and closed her eyes as she felt his lips brushing her cheek lightly. She breathed in deeply at the gesture, completely lost in the moment. When he pulled away, she felt with no surprise as an intense blush spread across her cheeks and opened her eyes again. This was the first time they had a moment, both completely aware of what was happening.

"I will always be here for you, Sarah Reese."

She felt his forehead rest in hers, while they both looked directly into each other's eyes.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" she practically whispered.

He laughed lightly. "Yes, I forgive you. Now let's go back to your room and finish your evaluations."

Sarah frowned, crossing her arms. Going back into evaluation didn't thrill her at all.

Connor rolled his eyes, laughing at her antics and walked behind her grabbing lightly at the upper of her arms, just below her shoulders. He kissed her cheek once again from behind, making her feel a jolt of electricity travel her body.

"Come on, princess. Let's get you fixed up."

* * *

**I'm excited to see what you thought about this chapter. Thanks for the support!**

  


	7. The Date, The Baby and The Kiss

**Guess who's, back again? (No, it's not Slim Shady)**

**Lol. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it! :D**

* * *

Sarah ended up staying two more days at the hospital. She got used to seeing Dr. Charles and Alice Clarke almost every hour running tests on her and asking her questions, so by the time she was released she was more than exhausted to say the least.

She had done fine in her psychiatric evaluations: no severe brain activity alterations or neurophysiological damage and she had responded well to diverse stimuli. The diagnosis didn't change: She was indeed suffering from PTSD, so she needed to take a few days off of work and be under medication until further notice.

Coming to terms with what went down in the ER was tough, but she had a good disposition to address the situation head on. She understood that the flashbacks and the confusions that had happened to her were because of environmental triggers. There was nothing she could've done to prevent them from happening, and she knew that they might happen again.

Nevertheless, she felt ready to face that fear. Mostly because she knew there were plenty of people to help her through this.

Connor had visited thoroughly and had been very attentive throughout her evaluations, making Sarah wonder more cautiously about his intentions. She knew there was something between them, of that she had no doubt… she just didn't know exactly what. She felt weak in the knees every time he was near her, and she could tell that Connor didn't walk around giving everybody pet names. She felt special, and that scared her. But like April had very well said, she had to give him and herself a chance.

"Got everything?"

Connor's voice from the doorway snapped her away from her thoughts. He had just finished a surgery and looked tired, but he had still insisted on driving her home.

"Yeah." She replied with a small smile heading towards her bag of clothes, Connor beating her to it and adjusting the strap over his shoulder.

"Dr. Charles says you can get back to work next Monday." He said while they exited the room.

Sarah groaned, making Connor smile, eyeing her expressions. "What, you don't like the idea of having a week off work?"

"It's not that. It's just that everyone I know will be working while I have all this free time. Besides, I don't want to get behind on my ER hours." She said glumly.

"You can catch up with your family." He said nonchalantly.

Sarah shook her head abruptly. "They live in New York, and I don't want them worrying about this. I know my mom. She'd want me to move back as soon as possible. She worries too much."

Connor nodded, thoughtful, choosing not to press the subject furthermore.

They kept walking until they reached Sarah's car. Once Connor started the engine, Sarah let herself drift away into sleep, resting her head on the armrest and curling up her body so that it fit her seat. Connor drove carefully to her apartment trying not to wake her. He knew that these past days had been difficult for her and he had been informed by the nurses that she kept waking up in the middle of the night because of nightmares related to the incident.

Once they reached their apartment, Connor parked her car and looked at her closely for the first time since days ago. She looked so peaceful and relaxed it almost pained him to wake her. The more closely he looked, the more noticeable the bags under her eyes, her tired features and her slightly creased brow.

"Reese." He half-whispered, making her stir but not wake up completely.

"Sarah. Wake up, beautiful. We're here."

Sarah stretched lightly, finally opening her eyes and meeting Connor's. She furrowed her brow looking at her surroundings, a little disoriented. Her features relaxed after a second, meeting Connor's gaze once again.

"Hey." He smiled sympathetically.

"Hey." She croaked back and then cleared her throat. "Sorry for falling asleep." She stretched once again.

"It's okay."

They left the car, and she noticed a cab parked awaiting Connor to drive him back to the hospital. After Connor had spoken with the driver, they climbed up the stairs until they reached her apartment door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And call me if you need anything." He said handing over her bag.

Sarah smiled back at him, furrowing her brow, a funny look on her face.

Connor chuckled at her expression. "What is it?"

"It's nothing. Just something that crossed my mind."

Connor kept staring at her, so she carried on. "It's just that… despite everything that's happened, I don't remember the last time I smiled this much. And I guess I owe that to you."

Connor shook his head and took her hand, tracing patterns that Sarah now knew very well. A familiar feeling set on her stomach. A feeling she felt when she was nervous or excited, and that she had been feeling ever since she had met him.

"Then I guess I'm doing something right." He finally replied, leaning over and kissing her cheek lightly.

Sarah closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling. He looked at her again, without backing away from the small space between them.

"Tell you what. Why don't I make some free time today? That way you won't feel lonely and we can celebrate your release." He said, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear.

As soon as he saw her about to protest, he added. "I can make a few arrangements. Seriously, you don't need to worry about anything."

Sarah didn't ponder his suggestion that long. He looked sincerely enthusiastic to spend time with her, and she wasn't about to deny that she felt the same way. "I'd like that." She replied a bit shyly, making Connor grin.

"I'll pick you up at eight." He said giving a final kiss to her cheek and going down the stairs

* * *

"This is sooo a date."

"April, come on… "

"I agree! It's definitely a date."

Sarah had called April on her free time to tell her about what had happened that morning. April got so excited she insisted that they skyped, and Natalie ended up joining the conversation while she was passing by the nurses' station.

"Girl, don't you dare deny it. You know it's a date." added April as she munched on some popcorn.

"Okay, fine. Let's say it's a date. What should I wear?"

"Did he tell you where he was taking you?" asked Natalie curiously. She was sitting on April's chair, resting her now extremely pregnant belly.

Sarah shook her head no.

"I'd go with something neutral, just in case you're going someplace fancy." Said Natalie wriggling her eyebrows.

"But what if it's not someplace fancy? You need to be prepared for everything."

Sarah sighed as she observed their conversation turn into an animated chat between April and Natalie. She needed consistent advice and she needed it now before she lost her way into nervousness.

"Where's Maggie?" she interrupted them, making them go quiet.

"I think she's with a patient, want me to look for her?"

"Please." She replied rubbing at her temples.

Both Sarah and Natalie watched April leave looking for the head nurse behind every examination curtain.

"So how have you been doing?" asked Natalie, nonchalantly.

"Better. I feel more relaxed now… I think Dr. Rhodes is the main reason why."

Natalie smiled. "I'm very happy for you. Still, if you want to talk about anything, just say the word."

"Likewise. You're very lucky." She added after a few seconds.

Dr. Manning furrowed her brow, slightly taken aback. "Why's that?"

"Will is a good man. He too helped a lot."

Sarah noticed Natalie's face turn bright red, but sighed. "I guess there's no point in denying it."

"Yeah… I think the whole hospital knows about you two by now."

Natalie laughed, but quieted down, thinking about what Sarah had just said. "I guess we both are. Lucky, that is." They were both interrupted by Maggie's agitated arrival, her face occupying most of the camera's view.

"Okay, April told me this was an emergency. What's up?"

"Relax, Mags. She just wanted to know your advice on dating." Sarah heard Natalie say.

Maggie whirled around and stared skeptically at April. "You told me it was a matter of life and death."

"And practically it is. Reese needs our help."

Sarah stifled a laugh as she watched Maggie's horrified face. If looks could kill, April would have been disintegrated then and there.

"Look, I have no time for this." She replied addressing Sarah. "Just be yourself, wear what you want to wear and behave how you want to behave. If someone asks you on a date, the best you can do is try to be how you normally are. If he likes that, then great. If he doesn't, then he's not the one for you, honey."

Sarah nodded. Maggie was right. Why on earth should she be worrying if Connor had given her every reason not to? As she was about to thank her, she heard the distinct sound of several pagers go off, and noticed Maggie look down to check hers.

"We have to go, but seriously, don't stress out about anything. If we're talking about whom I think we're talking, then he's crazy about you. Don't worry."

Sarah blushed at the commentary and nodded once again.

"Take care of yourself, and tell us how things go." She ended with a wink, before pushing the screen of the laptop down, and Sarah's skype call ended.

She was alone once again surrounded by the silence of her living room. She closed her laptop and lied on the couch, thinking about the possibilities that tonight could bring and letting herself acknowledge the crazy, fluttering feeling in her stomach once more.

* * *

Connor arrived exactly on time, ringing at Sarah's doorbell once.

"I'm coming!" she yelled from her room as she adjusted her earrings. She decided to wear a white summer dress and red heels. She had let her hair down again and put a little more effort on her makeup this time. She still had bandages on her arm, but there was nothing she could do about that. She sprayed on some perfume, grabbed a small bag to match her heels and headed to the door, her heart beating rapidly. She took a quick breath before opening it and felt it got stuck in her throat once she saw Connor wearing a navy blue button up shirt, a maroon tie and black pants. Her eyes instantly went to a single red rose that was now extended to her.

Sarah took the rose and Connor wrapped her gently in his arms.

"You look so beautiful right now." He half-whispered, his head buried in her shoulder.

Sarah couldn't reply at first. She felt an unusual wave of emotions hit her. She never wanted this moment to end. She felt so secure and happy she could feel tears forming in her eyes. So as soon as they broke apart, Connor's expression changed into worry.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Sarah shook her head, smiling at the floor. "I feel so happy right now." She said, her hand going to wipe a single tear that had escaped. "I look stupid, I'm sorry."

"You could never look stupid. You're smart," he said kissing her cheek "and beautiful," he said kissing her temple "and kind." He ended, kissing her forehead lightly.

Sarah let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked down at the rose once again.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." she said walking over the kitchen and putting it in a small flower vase.

"Are you ready to leave?" Sarah nodded, and together they left her apartment and got into Connor's car.

The drive took longer than Sarah had expected. Despite her insistent pleas of where he was taking her, Connor didn't budge. He wanted their destination to be a surprise, and made her wear a blindfold as soon as he parked the car.

He guided her carefully by the shoulders, telling her when she had to go up a step or turn into a specific direction.

As soon as Sarah heard a door slide open and a small gush of wind hit her, Connor spoke. "Okay, stop."

Sarah did as she was told, and felt him remove the blindfold she was wearing. She heard her own breath hitch as soon as she came eye to eye with the view. They were standing at a terrace at the top floor of a building. A crystal chandelier hung over a wooden table lit with several candles and decorated with flowers. Sarah walked further to the edge of the terrace and was taken aback by the view over the city. The city lights glistening over the lake shore, and the moon reflected on the crystal-clear water.

"What is this place? How did you-" she turned around and noticed Connor looking directly at her, his arms crossed and resting on the doorframe. He was grinning from ear to ear, pleased with Sarah's reaction.

"It's called Il Fornaio. Made a few calls to book the terrace."

"So you have been here before?"

"My sister recommended it to me. I gathered it wasn't a bad idea to check it out." He said a bit dryly. Sarah noticed the change in his tone, but decided to make nothing of it.

"It's beautiful."

Connor simply smiled. He walked towards the table and drew out one of the chairs so that Sarah could sit.

He sat at the other end of the table, both close to each other. Once their waiter arrived, they both ordered drinks and patiently awaited their food.

"I've never been here before, so if there's something you don't like, feel free to say so and we'll leave."

Sarah frowned. "But why would we? This place is perfect. I had never seen a view to the city this beautiful." She replied looking out again.

Connor smiled and nodded, looking over the city as well. "You're right. I'm sorry. Sometimes I demand too much of things." He confessed.

Sarah made her first bold move of the night and reached her good hand to take his in hers. "It's okay. You've never demanded anything of me."

"That's because you're perfect as you are." He replied confidently, making the med student blush intensely and take a sip of her ice cold water.

"Can I tell you a secret?" said Connor in a rather more serious note.

"You can tell me anything, Dr. Rhodes."

"Connor."

Sarah looked at him, puzzled. He laughed as soon as he noticed the confused look on her face.

"We're not at the hospital right now. You can call me Connor if you like."

Sarah gulped and nodded, trying out his name for the first time. "Connor. You can tell me anything."

He grinned and got closer to her. Sarah leaned closer to where he was, expecting a shocking reveal.

"I love making you blush." He whispered.

Before the girl could try to reply or the color in her face heightened, the waiter arrived with their dinner, interrupting the moment. Connor noticed her let out a breath of relief and chuckled.

"One pesto pasta for the lady and tonight's special for the gentleman. Enjoy your meal and please let me know if you need anything else." They both thanked him and he left.

Sarah had never been on a date like this before. She wasn't thinking about the fancy chandelier or the nice food or the view. She meant she'd never gone out on a date with someone she felt completely comfortable with. With a man she could tell all her secrets and not feel scrutinized or ashamed. A man she could trust. He had gone above and beyond to make her feel beautiful, and special, and happy. She wondered if he was actually real. A feeling of nervousness struck her but she pushed it aside. She had to let herself trust people. She had to let herself discover her feelings. Like Maggie had said, if things didn't go right, then perhaps he was not the one for her. But until now, Sarah could surely say this was the best date she'd ever had.

They continued to talk about nothing and everything for a while longer. Sarah felt herself get braver with the passing of time and told him about her hobbies, her aspirations, and her family. Connor listened intently to everything she had to say and looked at her like he had discovered something wonderful. He then talked about his likes and dislikes as well and his aspirations, yet Sarah noticed he skipped the topic of family again. She decided not to pursue it tonight, but she still felt curious about that part of Connor. They enjoyed each other's company and listened to the music that played in the background while the chatted.

Suddenly, Sarah's phone started ringing. She excused herself and took out her phone, confused when she noticed it was April calling.

"Hey April, everything okay? What? I can't hear you, say that aga- Wait. She's what?!" She said standing up, Connor instantly alarmed and standing up as well. "Okay, okay, we'll be on our way." She said before hanging up.

"What happened?"

"It's Natalie. She has gone into labor."

* * *

They quickly left the restaurant and headed to the hospital, both speaking animatedly about what was happening. By the time they arrived, almost twenty minutes had passed. They rushed inside the hospital, getting weird looks from almost everyone and practically sprinted towards the maternity section, Sarah walking quickly as to not injure her still healing ribs. As soon as they arrived to the main hall, they noticed everyone waiting. Will was pacing back and forth the corridor, his hands on the back of his neck. Dr. Choi and Dr. Charles were sitting on the two of the few seats available, visibly on edge. Sarah spotted April and Maggie and headed towards her.

"How is she?"

"She just got her epidural. She's at a six right now." Said April.

"Is there any way we can help?" asked Connor.

Maggie shook her head. "She didn't want any of us in there. She wants us to wait until he's born."

Sarah sat down at one of the chairs, releasing a breath. Connor sat beside her, rubbing his face, tense. "And now we wait." He said to no one in particular.

"And now we wait." Nodded Maggie.

* * *

It was 2 in the morning, and everyone had gone back to work on a night shift instead of heading home. Sarah and Will stayed at the lounge, trying to rest unsuccessfully. They had agreed to page everyone else as soon as they got news on Nat and the baby. A few minutes later, they heard the door to her room cringe open. Will was instantly up, rubbing his eyes and crossing his arms, awaiting an answer. A familiar doctor exited the room, removing his gloves.

"How is she?" asked Sarah, following Will.

"She's perfectly fine. She had a healthy little boy." He replied with a smile.

They both let out a breath. Will practically fist pumped the air and Sarah couldn't stop the tears that formed in her eyes. Will picked her up and she squealed, happy that everything had turned out okay. As soon as he put her down, she started paging the others. One by one they arrived at the small lounge, hugging Will and Sarah and each other, enjoying the good news. Connor was the last to arrive, and instantly opened his arms as he saw Sarah bolting towards him. He laughed and hugged her by the waist while she cried happy tears.

"Her family can now come in and see Dr. Manning and the baby."

They all went quiet and looked at each other. Finally, Will spoke.

"We're all her family."

The doctor eyed them up, noticing their medical wear but stayed quiet and nodded, standing aside and letting them though.

Will was the first to enter her room, followed by Maggie and April. Sarah entered with Connor and held back tears at the sight of Natalie, her hair a mess and sweaty, holding her newborn son. She looked absolutely radiant with joy. Dr. Choi and Dr. Charles followed suit smiling at the sight in front of them.

Will kissed her cheek and kneeled down to get a better view of the baby.

"Hey, little guy." He said rubbing a finger through his hair, looking at him adoringly.

One by one they all came forward to greet the baby and congratulate their friend. Sarah walked carefully and watched as Maggie cradled the little boy in her arms, talking to him. Sarah smiled at him and spoke to him as well, telling him how handsome he was, and that he had the most perfect mom. Connor came forward as well and told him he was going to be such a happy boy because of the mother that had been chosen for him.

Everyone felt the love in the room. They were once again together, celebrating life instead of mourning another loss. Like Will had said, they were a family, and Sarah, for once, felt like she fitted in perfectly.

Natalie announced that her mother in law would be arriving soon and Will instantly cringed, making everybody laugh.

Sarah felt Connor's arms snake around her waist lightly and his chin rest on her shoulder. She put her hands on his arms and laid back slightly against his chest, enjoying the feeling that overcame her. After a while, she broke from his embrace and motioned outside, so he followed.

"Everything okay?"

"Remember when you told me I could ask anything from you?"

"Of course."

"I want to ask you something now." She said a bit shyly, looking at the floor.

"Anything you want, beautiful." He replied encouraging her.

Sarah gulped and looked up to meet his gray eyes.

"Can you kiss me?"

Connor looked at her, slightly taken aback by her boldness, but instantly smiled. He got closer to her and placed his hand on the small of her back. He eyed her lips like he had done a thousand times, but this time he didn't hold back. He leaned down and kissed her softly, but confidently. Sarah didn't know what had come over her, but she was glad she had said the words. She kissed him back, feeling lightheaded. There was no happiness compared to this. She felt so… loved. She knew that this kiss would stay in her memory forever. She curled her arms around his shoulders, and felt his arms descend to her waist, holding her in place. It was a much needed kiss for both. It was full of promises, and expectations for the future.

When air became an issue, they broke apart, Connor resting his forehead against hers.

"Anything else you want, baby?" he said grinning and out of breath.

Sarah laughed and kissed him again, happy with how the day had turned out, and happy to feel loved back by the people she loved.

* * *

**Did you like it? I sure did -w- Celebrate life! And have a good day/night. :)**


	8. The Elevator and the Ex-Boyfriend

**Hope you like this chapter. Thanks for all the support and reviews! I read all of them :)**

* * *

Sarah woke with a start, her t-shirt drenched in sweat.

_Another nightmare_ , she exhaled. _Just a nightmare._

She gulped and took her phone from her nightstand: 4:25 a.m. She collapsed again on the bed and ran a hand through her now moist hair, her mind still on edge after the vivid dream. It had been the same one over and over again: The ER; the unsettling patient; the incident.

She stayed in that position for a while, replaying the thoughts in her head before ultimately deciding to get up and pour herself a cup of coffee. There was no use in trying to get back to sleep when she knew pretty well that it wouldn't work. Besides, she had to be early at the hospital anyways. She wanted to get as much work done as possible on her first day back.

The med student sat on one of the high chairs of her kitchen counter and blinked hard, trying to stay awake. A week ago she would've called Connor by now, but now she felt she needed to try and sort this out on her own. Try to get better gradually without having to absolutely depend on him.

This week had been stressful for everyone. A new case had taken Connor and Dr. Choi almost three days to diagnose. Natalie was just released from maternity leave and Will had been busy trying to work her hours and his while she was still resting. The numerous daily incoming patients also took over Maggie and April's free hours, so spending time by herself had been the main activity that had consumed her time.

The vibration of an incoming call made her jolt awake. She started running her thumb across the screen out of habit but furrowed her brow when she saw the caller's number. She blinked once or twice before confirming the number again.

Joey was calling her.

She placed the device on the counter as if scared that it might answer the call by itself. After less than a minute, the ringing stopped. She studied the phone considering the possibility of a misdial from his part, but instantly rejected the idea. She had changed her phone number not much later after their breakup. Joey had clearly gotten her number from someone, but who? But most importantly, why was he calling her at five in the morning?

Her mind wandered to multiple possibilities. Was if it was an emergency? What if he needed her for something? What if-?

She abruptly stopped her train of thought and shook her head. No. She wasn't going to do this. Not again. She didn't want to deal with ex-boyfriend drama right now. Mostly because of how things had ended between Joey and her. She'd rather focus on the work that awaited her at the hospital.

She got up lazily and took a shower, letting her thoughts flush away with the cascading cold water. On days like these, the icy water helped her distract herself from unwanted thoughts. Once she got out, she carefully redressed her bandages. Her stitched arm was still a little swollen, not to mention the stitches had started to cause her discomfort, but she ignored the mishap and got dressed, did her hair in a messy bun, grabbed her coat and gloves, and drove to the hospital, ready to face the challenges that expected her that day.

* * *

The usual morning frenzy that greeted her at the main entrance oddly calmed her down. She made her way through doctors and incoming patients and quickly went to the locker room to put her things away before heading to the lab. Despite Joey's call unsettling her a little, she now felt unusually cheerful, the reason behind it perhaps being that she was finally going to see Connor after days of nonstop work.

She pondered on how they were supposed to behave around each other now. After all, he was a doctor…and she was a student. If they were ever caught being affectionate by any authority or someone they didn't trust, the possibility of both getting fired was pretty much understandable. She knew she wasn't going to let her feelings for him affect her medical performance in any way, but other people might not see it the way that she did.

She scratched the back of her neck, exasperated. She was glad she didn't have to work alone that day at the lab. The doctors she was assigned to work with were, to her taste, uncharacteristically chatty, but on days like this the incessant talking came in handy as a distraction. She had a lot of things on her mind that she wished to ignore as of now: graduation… pathology… Joey.

"Reese. We need you at Lab 1. Blood tests." Said a familiar doctor as she passed by the labs.

"On it."

She shook her head and pushed away her thoughts. There was work to be done, and it wasn't going to be done by itself. She reached the elevators and pushed the button to go down, waiting a bit impatiently. Once she got inside, a hand suddenly got in between the doors, keeping them apart.

The sudden intrusion made her jump. She relaxed once she recognized Connor, but couldn't help a slight crease in her brow when she realized he wasn't alone. The blonde doctor that had given her a hard time with the school bus driver was with him. What was her name again?

"Reese. Good morning." He said nonchalantly making his way inside, followed by the doctor. He stood at Sarah's left after clicking on one of the top floors, and the blonde girl at her right, leaving her in the middle. Sarah looked slightly to the elevator's ceiling, feeling uncomfortable by her stare.

"You remember Dr. Zanetti." added Connor a few seconds later.

Sarah nodded and smiled briefly, looking at her. Zanetti nodded back at her once, but the smile was not returned.

An awkward silence set between the three until Zanetti spoke.

"So I guess I'll see you tonight?" she said dismissing Sarah's presence. "We can meet at my place and then leave from there."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Be sure to bring your key."

Sarah kept any expression away from her face, listening painfully alert to the conversation. She wasn't one to jump to conclusions without being certain about things, but the conversation she had heard made her put her defenses up. She knew there must be a perfect explanation behind it, yet she crossed her arms and hugged herself, motion that didn't go unnoticed by Connor. The doors finally opened and Zanetti started to exit but stopped with a hand to the door when she noticed Connor not moving.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'll meet you there." He replied sternly, leaving no room for discussion. Sarah noticed Zanetti eye the both of them before leaving the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Connor turned her way and put a hand on her upper arm, unlocking her arms.

"I know how that must've sounded like. I'm going to a patient's house to check out if he had possession of drugs. Nothing else." He said, searching her eyes. "Zanetti is my partner, so she's-"

"Look, I don't want to hear it." She said interrupting him.

He looked at her slightly taken aback. "Sarah-"

"I don't want to hear about it because I trust you, Connor." She replied calmly. "I know that I tend to be insecure, and that's something I'll have to work on. But I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I know that you've been nothing but honest with me, and I owe my trust in return. There's nothing you need to explain."

Connor looked at her a few moments before kissing her softly. Her hand went instinctively to his cheek, a little surprised by his advance. The sound of the doors opening indicated Sarah had reached her floor, but Connor punched another number before the doors could actually give any outsider clear visibility of what was going on inside, the elevator slowly climbing up. Sarah broke apart from the kiss, her brow furrowed.

"What are you doing? I'm supposed to-" she started protesting, but Connor kissed her again. She slowly felt herself get lost in the kiss. She had missed him, but it was until now that she realized how much. His hands went to the back of her neck, holding her lightly in place, and hers went to hold the collar of his white coat, trying to draw him closer to her.

Both pulled apart after a few seconds later, breathing heavily.

"Do you have any idea of what you do to me?" he said, his gray eyes piercing through hers and kissing her lightly one last time. She let out a breath, dizzy, and looked down and licked her lips before looking back at him.

The sudden opening of the elevator doors made them quickly draw apart, Sarah placing a hand to his chest to practically jump away from him. They managed to compose themselves before doctors and nurses started crowding the metallic box. Connor walked briskly out of it, not before giving her one last look and a wink that Sarah prayed was unnoticed by the others present.

Once the doors closed again and she had clicked on her floor number again, she managed to regulate her breathing.

"Nice morning, isn't it?" said a familiar nurse with wavy hair trying to start a conversation.

"Very." She replied casually trying not to give herself away and looking into space, thinking about what just had happened.

* * *

The incoming of tests and files didn't appear to cease any time soon. She had been working for almost five hours straight, and a quick break seemed to be an attractive option at the moment. She left the lab and made her way to the main lounge, knowing that at this time of day it was probably empty. She looked through the cabinets and found some old packets of coffee that she set to brew before dropping on the couch, her legs dangling from the arm rest. A hand went to her temple, massaging it in circular motions and sighed.

A text got her attention making her pull her phone out, but froze once she glimpsed at the screen.

_Why didn't you answer my calls? Can we talk?_

She debated on whether she should type back, but her thoughts were once again interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She waited three seconds before deciding to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Sarah? It's J-"

"What do you want, Joey?" she said beating around the bush. She wasn't at all thrilled that he was calling her, so she wanted to make this call as brief as possible.

She heard a pause on his side. "I just, you know, wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard what happened at the ER."

"I'm fine."

"Ok." He replied dryly. "Look, if you ever want to talk about anything-"

"Listen, Joey. I get why you're calling, and I don't need any comfort or anything of the sort from you. It's over between us."

"Sarah, it's just… how many times do I have to apologize for what I did? Give me another chance and I promise that I will make it up to you."

"You had plenty."

"Sarah come on, we were on a break. I made a mistake. Everyone does these days."

"We were on a break for three weeks." She responded angrily.

The door to the lounge opened and Dr. Choi walked in, looking at her curiously.

"Don't ever call me again." She said finally and hung up harshly. She placed her phone on the small table in front of her and put her face on her hands, stressed.

"Everything okay?" asked Choi while he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Yes, Dr. Choi, everything's fine." She said trying to mask her tone into a more calmed one.

"You sounded pretty agitated." He said, not actually looking at her.

She tensed her jaw, not wanting to talk about it. "I said it's nothing."

Ethan looked at her finally. "Look, Reese. I may not be the best person with whom to share worries with, but you've been through a lot. Stress is only going to make it worse. Try to take things one step at a time, okay?"

She looked down. "I'm sorry, Dr. Choi. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay. Just… talk to someone about what's bothering you. It might help." He said with a brief smile before exiting the room and leaving Sarah alone to think about his proposal.

* * *

She got back to the lab after her quick break and continued working, only this time the incessant talking from any doctor couldn't help her keep her mind off of Joey's call. Was she supposed to tell Connor about it, or would that only cause more problems? She scratched the back of her neck and tried to focus on what was in front of her instead of worrying too much.

It had been almost eight months since she and Joey had broken up definitely and seven months since she discovered he had been cheating on her. But ever since Sarah refused to get back together, he had been doing everything in his power to get her back. _Of course he would take advantage of what happened to her for his own benefit_ she thought to herself, angry at him.

After a few hours of more testing and classifying blood samples, she called it a day. She was exhausted, and her dismissal was granted due to her situation. She got to the locker room and got her things before arriving to the upper floor which gave view to the main entrance downstairs. She rested her arms on the rail while she looked down, enjoying the sight of people coming and going.

"Hey."

She spotted Connor walking towards her and smiled.

"Hey. How was your day?"

"Exhausting." He replied after a while.

"Everything okay?" she asked with concern. She wanted to hug him. Be near him in some way, but they were in an area that was completely visible to everyone else's eyes, so she stayed put.

"Everything's fine, darling."

She looked at him, furrowing her brow and smiling, confused. "Darling?"

He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What? Am I not allowed to call you that?"

"No, it's just that I've never heard anyone call someone darling before. At least not in this century." She replied, laughing, making him laugh as well.

"Call me old-fashioned then. But I won't say it anymore if you don't like it."

"I do like it." She said smiling, looking again at the bottom floor. Suddenly her heart stopped as she spotted a familiar figure walk through the doors, a bouquet of flowers in hand and making a beeline to the receptionist.

Connor noticed her change of expression. "Sarah?"

The voice from downstairs echoed to the top floor. "Hey. I'm looking for Sarah Reese, medical student?"

Sarah saw as the receptionist pointed straight at her and felt her heart drop to her stomach. This simply couldn't be happening to her right now.

"Who is that?" asked Connor, a slight defensiveness in his tone.

Sarah didn't respond. She watched as Joey spotted her and started climbing up the stairs towards her until they were face to face.

"Hey, Sarah." He said, confidently. "I just wanted to get a chance to talk about some things, I hope you have the time. Oh! And these are for you." He said extending the flowers to her.

"Reese, who is this?" asked Connor again, visibly annoyed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, doctor. Joey Thomas. I'm her boyfriend." He said extending his hand towards Connor, which he did not shook.

"Ex- boyfriend." Stated Sarah clearly and angry at his comment.

"Yeah, well. Still working on that."

"I don't know if anybody has told you, Thomas, but this hospital is no place for these kinds of displays." Said Connor through gritted teeth. "Please leave."

"It's no problem, doc. I used to work here." He then turned to Sarah. "Can we talk in private? And aren't you going to take my flowers? They're orchids, your favorite."

Connor spoke before Sarah could formulate a thought. "Reese is working her shift. I won't say it again, kid. Leave."

Joey furrowed his brow, maddened. "You seem pretty concerned about her for a normal doctor."

"I am pretty concerned about her." He replied, advancing towards him. "She's my student, and you're distracting her from her work."

"I don't see her working right now."

"Are you trying to be a smartass?"

Sarah noticed the direction the conversation was going. "Dr. Rhodes…"

"What is your problem, man? I'm just trying to talk to my girlfriend!"

"I'm not your girlfriend, Joey." Sarah intervened, irritated, before Connor could make a more threatening advance. "Please do as he says and leave."

"I have every right to be here, same as his. I'm not leaving until we talk."

"I don't want to talk to you. I told you, it's over between us." she said, getting agitated.

"Babe, come on…" he said grabbing at her injured arm covered by her sleeve, making her recoil instinctively from the pain and him looked confused.

Before she could react in any other way, Connor had already dragged him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him harshly against the wall.

"Don't you ever touch her again." He said spitting venom. Sarah had never seen him so angry before and she stepped backwards, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly security started climbing up the stairs as they spotted the altercation.

"Dr. Rhodes, is there a problem?" said one of them, his hand on his pocket at the ready.

"A minor disturbance officer. Please walk Mr. Thomas out, I'm sure he won't make the same mistake of coming here." He answered, his eyes not leaving Joey's. He then released him to the officers.

"Hey, you caused the disturbance, doc, and I have proof! Show them the message I sent you, Sarah! I just wanted to have a conversation with her."

The officers turned to the med student, but she shook her head. "Leave, Joey."

They took that as a sign to carry on and drive Joey out of the hospital and give him an infraction for disturbing the peace. Sarah didn't move from where she was. She felt every nerve on her body on edge and Connor's gaze directly on her.

"He called you?" he asked, still angry. They had moved out of the people's sight to one of the abandoned hallways of the floor they were at.

He sounded disappointed and disbelieving. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"It happened this morning. I didn't have the time to explain it. I was still processing it had happened."

Connor ignored her response. "Why did you answer? Why didn't you hang up on him? He's your ex, isn't he?" he said, the last question a little uncertain.

"Yes, he is." She said quickly "And I don't know why I did." She replied honestly.

Connor pursed his lips and looked away. He was furious, Sarah could tell by his clenched jaw and his fists balled at his sides. She felt guilty and looked at the floor tiles, somewhat ashamed.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a while still not looking at her. "Your arm. Did he hurt you?"

"I'm okay."

He then walked towards her, releasing a breath that he had been holding. "Look Sarah. I'm not angry about you not telling me. I get it. It's your private life and it's not my business to know about your past. I just…" he paused. "I worry about you, okay? And I don't want any stupid kid lurking around trying to bother you. I don't want him near you, or talking to you or sending you texts. I want you to be okay, and happy and…"

He was interrupted by Sarah holding him close to her. She didn't know what drove her to hug him, but she simply felt the need to have him close. Her mind was a mixture of things, and the only thing she wanted right now is to have him close to her. Connor breathed and calmed down, resting his chin at the top of her head, still serious, but wrapping his arms around her anyways.

They stayed like that for a few moments, Sarah feeling Connor calm his breathing with every passing second.

"Promise me you won't talk to him again. He'll just hurt you."

Sarah nodded into his chest.

"I promise."

* * *

**Can I get a review? :D**


	9. The Birthday and The Question

**Sorry for the delay! I'm on finals Dx Here's the next one, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

There had been no news of Joey ever since he got driven out of the hospital, but Sarah wasn't going to let her defenses down. She knew how "passionate" Joey could be when he wanted something, and all these months that he had been quiet made her suspicious of when he might surprise her again.

The news about Dr. Rhodes's confrontation with a lab technician had circulated quickly, making every corner a good place to hear gossip about it. Sarah had heard at least three different versions of what had happened by midday, none of them even close to what had actually happened. But what bothered her the most is that now she and Connor seemed to be everyone's center of attention.

As she made her way to the lab, she couldn't ignore the fact that almost every member of the medical staff stared at her, whispering behind her back and often signaling her way. She started to get increasingly nervous, feeling every look, and every comment directed at her. She hurried her step and headed to one of the examination rooms. Dr. Choi had paged her earlier about a new patient, ending her glee of only spending time at the lab. But on the other hand, Dr. Choi had been the only one who thought she was more than capable to get back to treating patients.

As she opened the door to room 301, she came face to face with a blonde boy who was hooked into a variety of machines and resting on a bed. He was alone; no sight of Dr. Choi or his parents anywhere around. He looked curious and annoyed by her presence.

"Who are you?"

"Sarah Reese." She replied, tripping slightly over her own words.

"Are you my doctor?"

"Um, no. I'm here to assist Dr. Choi."

The boy looked around the room in an exaggerated matter. "Well I don't see any Dr. Choi here, do you?"

"Um, well, you see-"

The boy didn't let her finish. "What are you, five? Stop with the mumbling already." He rolled his eyes.

Sarah furrowed her brow, slightly taken aback. She took a good look at the boy for the first time: He looked annoyed, but she gathered he would've gotten angry at anyone who walked through his door anyways. He looked tired, but overall, healthy, making her question why he was hooked up to so many machines and curious about his diagnosis.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen." He said quickly.

Sarah looked at him disbelievingly.

"Fine. Twelve." He added, rolling his eyes.

"And why are you here?" she said shutting the door and looking around the room, as if trying to find the answer herself.

"Gee, I don't know. I figured staying here for a week would be much better than playing soccer or hanging with my friends."

Sarah didn't reply and crossed the room to his medical file which hanged from the end of his bed. She took hold of the binder and went through the chart sheets. She paused for a second as she read his diagnosis.

The boy seemed to notice her pause. "Yeah, I have cancer, so what? It's not terminal."

"I-" she started, seeing in the charts just the opposite.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but if you came here to pity me then get the hell out. I have enough with my mom and stepdad. They're so overprotective it's stupid." He said annoyed, looking out the window.

Sarah smiled briefly, understanding him. "What's your name?"

"Nick."

"Well, Nick. I'm sure Dr. Choi won't be long. He'll be the one treating you."

The boy didn't answer, but instead started to look at her intensely, making her feel slightly self-conscious.

"What kind of doctor are you?"

"I'm a medical student. Fourth year."

"So you're like that hot girl? You know, from House? Except you're not dying."

Sarah smiled and scratched her neck, amused by the correlation. "Um no, Thirteen is an internist. I'm more inclined towards pathology."

The boy simply stared at her.

"I mean I want to diagnose diseases from examining organs, fluids, tissues… not actual people."

Nick nodded understandingly, suddenly seeming interested. "Huh. Maybe one day I'll become a doctor." He said more to himself than to her. "Maybe I'll discover the cure to this stupid disease. I don't know what you people think you're doing, but you're doing it wrong. Besides, I'd save people from spending lots of money and parents from crying all the time."

Sarah stood quiet, finding it hard to swallow her own saliva. When he looked at her again, she nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, maybe you will be a great doctor and discover a cure." She mentioned optimistically.

The door to the room opened abruptly, Dr. Choi making his way, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Nicholas. I'm Dr. Choi, and I'm going to be treating you. I see you met-"

"Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap, okay? We've met already."

Ethan paused, turning towards Sarah, a questioning glance on his face. She just shrugged her shoulders, smiling. She didn't know what it was about Nick that reminded her of someone… someone familiar that she couldn't pinpoint.

"Okay." Said Ethan joining both his hands together, a challenging expression adorning his features. "Let's get started on your examination."

* * *

Sarah left the room after a while, beaming. Nick's evaluation had been hilarious, with him making comments every minute and managing a dark humor that Sarah noticed Ethan hadn't caught. The entire evaluation had been a playful banter between him and Choi and silent laughs between him and Sarah. Her glee was slowly replaced by sadness as she recalled his diagnosis. This kid had his days counted and he had no idea, and that tugged at her heartstrings. This was why she preferred pathology: She didn't hurt when blood samples expired.

Her thoughts were diverted as she spotted some balloons awaiting one of the patients, reminding her of a more important issue right now: Connor's birthday was tomorrow.

Though he hadn't mentioned anything about it, Sarah wasn't one to let birthdays slip. Birthdays should never go uncelebrated on her agenda, and she was going to make damn sure that Connor's was the best one yet. She had a plan on how she was going to pull everything off tonight… but she was definitely going to need some help.

A buzz from her pocket made her draw out her phone. She smiled.

"Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful."

The sound of his voice calling her that melted her heart. "Hey." She replied almost dreamily.

"How are you? Do you have any plans for tonight?" said Connor.

Sarah chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Sorry, babe, but April, Maggie and I promised Nat we would help her decorate Owen's nursery." She lied easily. She felt a little guilty, but she knew the lie was for something good.

"Huh." He said, confused. Sarah bit her lip, feeling for him. Spending time with each other had been increasingly difficult considering that they both wanted to be under the radar since what had happened with Joey.

"I'm sorry, I know that's not the answer you were expecting." She replied gnawing at her lip.

"It's okay. You need time with the girls. It's been long since you guys hung out." He said understandingly.

"Rain check?" she said closing one eye, awaiting his answer.

"On one condition, though."

"What?"

"That you cancel any plans you have for tomorrow. I want us to spend time together… and there's something I need to say."

She furrowed her brow. What would he want to tell her? She felt herself get a bit lightheaded, but excited. "O-okay." She managed to say, chastising herself for the tremble in her voice, which Connor ignored.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Have fun with the girls, darling. Please call me when you get home, okay?"

"I will. Try to relax. You've had a busy week."

He chuckled. "Will do, princess."

The call ended way too soon for her liking, but she had to get some things done and fast. She walked to the ER where the girls were, and interrupted their chatting.

"Nat, if Connor asks, I'm at your house helping you paint the nursery, okay?"

Natalie looked at her, confused. "But we already did that last week."

"I know." She finished, earning a few confused looks from Maggie and April as well. Sarah shook her head. "Connor's birthday is tomorrow." She explained. "But I'm planning on surprising him tonight. I need you guys to cover for me in case he asks where I am until I see him."

Sarah watched as excitement slowly started filling their expressions.

"Aren't you going to tell us what you're planning?" said April batting her eyelashes.

"I can't right now." She said apologetic. "I'm running late and I still have to meet Ethan."

"Why?" she said confused.

"It's all part of the plan." She said dismissively.

"Well anything you need, let us know." Said Natalie. "Will and I can cover your shift and Connor's tomorrow if you want."

"Could you? He said he wanted to spend time together tomorrow. I'll repay you somehow I pro-"

"It's okay." She said grinning, a hand on her forearm. "Just… have fun. You deserve it." Maggie and April nodded, agreeing.

"Thanks guys." She said heartily. "I'll tell you how everything goes tomorrow." She said hastily running off to find Dr. Choi.

As she sprinted away, she heard April's voice through the busy crowd. "At least give us something, girl! The anticipation is going to kill me!"

Sarah turned and started walking backwards. "A truck and a comet!" she said, leaving them even more confused than they were before, and making her laugh.

* * *

Sarah hurried her pace, her white coat and bag in hand. She was late and needed to find Ethan as soon as possible. She walked through the lines of cars after getting a text to meet him at the parking lot. Suddenly the high beams of a car blinked twice almost blinding her. She shielded her eyes by raising her hand, the lights shutting down. It was then she realized the lights came from the pickup truck she was expecting to arrive: It was a blue and had a spacious open trunk. It was perfect. Just exactly what she had been looking for. The engine started, Ethan exiting from the driver's seat.

"It's all yours." He said happily. "I checked her this morning and saw no problems, but call me if she gives you any trouble." He said, his hands in his pockets.

"I will. Thanks so much for this. I owe you big time."

"It's okay." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Just try to have fun. You deserve it."

Sarah frowned. "Natalie said the same thing just now."

"Well, it's because it's true. You're one of the hardest working students in this hospital. And besides, you need to go easy on things right now. You're still on recovery."

Sarah smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He said, his lips curving up. "I hope you have a nice time with Rhodes."

Sarah halted her step and looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. She hadn't mentioned that she was going out with Connor at all, but Ethan didn't seem to care about it. Sarah finally nodded, getting inside the driver's seat and checking the gear in front of her. Ethan had explained how everything worked a few days ago, so she had no problem on leaving the parking lot and heading to her place. Once she arrived, she hurried inside her bedroom and gathered a packed duffel bag and quickly changed her outfit to jeans and converse. She then grabbed some food and supplies from the kitchen and exited her apartment and drove to Connor's house, praying that everything turned out according to plan.

She parked in front as quietly as possible, dimmed the lights as to not raise any suspicion and hurried and climbed the steps quietly. As she stood in front of the door, she took a moment to calm herself down. Her adrenaline levels were still high, her ears ringing slightly. She took a deep breath and rang the bell.

If Sarah ever felt strongly about something, it was with certainty the wait between ringing a doorbell and waiting for the person inside to open the door. She felt a weird feeling set in her stomach. A mixture between anxiety and excitement. Whatever the feeling was, she didn't actually know if she liked it or not. All that she knew is that she'd remember it forever.

The door finally opened, revealing a slightly tired-looking Connor Rhodes. His hand, scratching behind his neck, suddenly dropped to his side as he saw her. She grinned at his expression: he looked stunned, but definitely pleased to see her.

"Sarah? Wh-? Aren't you supposed to be at Nat's?"

"Slight change of plans." She said. "I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drive."

He furrowed his brow, his confusion turning into a slight laugh. "A drive?"

She witnessed his eyes travel past her and set in the neatly parked truck. He tried to speak, but closed his mouth immediately. He then laughed. "What's this about?"

"Well, in about a few hours it's going to be your birthday." she climbed up the remaining steps and stood face to face with the doctor. "I wanted to do something to celebrate. Something special." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"And where exactly are we going?" he asked getting closer to her.

Sarah pursed her lips. "I could tell you right now…" she said giving the idea some feigned thought. "Or we could make things a little more interesting."

Connor arched an eyebrow as he saw the girl retrieve a blindfold from behind her. He smiled. "So basically I'm supposed to go with you to someplace I don't know, blindfolded, and in the middle of the night. How do I know you're not abducting me? He asked, cheekily.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "You don't."

Connor laughed once again. "Come here." He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. Sarah returned the kiss softly, exhaling as she felt his arms circle around her, holding her in place. She was the happiest she had ever been, and it was all because of him.

They broke apart after a few seconds. "I don't know what you're planning in that twisted, beautiful mind of yours, Sarah Reese, but I can already say this is going to be the best birthday I've had yet."

Sarah grinned, and pecked his lips. "Then let's go." She said excitedly and walking behind him to bind his blindfold. "We have to get there by midnight."

* * *

The sky started turning to a darker shade of blue by the minute, with stars boldly crowding it, almost begging to be noticeable. The drive was filled with simple chatter that made Sarah feel at ease. She felt comfortable talking to him about the hospital and mundane things, but also about life's many trials and enigmas. There was something about Connor that made her open up easily, revealing things she hadn't even told April or the girls... Not even Joey. She felt she could be free to speak her mind and not be judged, no matter how crazy, intrepid or silly her thoughts were.

The drive to their destination made Sarah discover that Connor was not a patient man. The highway was clear, so he kept wondering why there was no sound of cars or the city's nightly uproar. She could've sworn that he had asked for hints about their location at least ten times in the last twenty minutes.

"For the last time, no, I won't say anything. And stop asking because you're going to make me go insane." She said gripping the steering wheel, searching for the trial marker in the road.

"That's the point, I want to make you go insane." He said, emphasizing on the "want".

Sarah rolled her eyes, smiling. He was just talking nonsense now, and she knew it wouldn't be long before he asked her again to give her a clue.

"Are we there yet?" he asked after less than two minutes.

"You are seriously the most impatient man I've ever met." She groaned before laughing heartily.

"Well, can you blame me? A beautiful woman walked to my doorstep and told me she wanted to take me for a drive, but didn't say where. How can I not be curious?"

Sarah shook her head, but focused on the road as she saw the road marker, getting excited. She drove off road into a grass field, slowing down. They were far away from the city now, the place illuminated by the stars and moonlight.

Sarah came to a stop, Making Connor go suddenly quiet.

"We're here." She almost whispered after a while.

Connor reached tentatively behind the blindfold and undid the knot when he heard no reprimands from the medical student. He blinked a few times once the piece of fabric was off, his eyes adjusting to the view. His gaze centered on the girl, who looked at him interestingly. He then took a good look at his surroundings, his forehead creasing.

"Where are we?"

Sarah didn't reply and exited the vehicle, Connor following suit. He was immediately hit by the chilliness of the night and dumbfounded by the amount of twinkling stars gathered in the sky, making it look endless.

Sarah watched him stare in wonder and felt warm inside. He looked like a boy, marveled by nature's miracles.

"Help me with this?" she said to him, grabbing some blankets inside the duffel bag that sat in the trunk. Connor nodded, confused. They managed to set the blankets on the trunk, softening its base. Sarah pulled out some cushions and pillows and organized them around the sheets of fabric, giving Connor an idea of what they were doing that night.

After she had reached for a bag that was next to the driver's seat, Sarah put her hands on her hips, breathing slowly. She then noticed Connor looking at her and climbed to the back of the truck, tapping at her side while looking at him. Connor shook his head smiling and climbed after her.

"Tell me, Doctor Rhodes. What do you know about astronomy?" she said, retrieving a coffee mug from the bag and taking a sip from it before resting her weight on a pillow looking up, her arms resting on her stomach.

"Not much, Sarah Reese." He said sardonically, lying down with a hand on the back of his head, taking a sip of the coffee as well.

She swallowed. "There was this comet that soared across the sky a few years ago before I was born, in 1986. The Halley Comet. My mom and dad got to experience it when they were dating, and my dad kept telling me stories about it as I grew up. It was on that night that he asked my mom to marry him." She sighed, smiling, Connor mirroring her expression. "I made myself a promise that when I saw that comet again, I'd be surrounded by people I love. People I cherish." She said nodding to herself. "The next time the comet soars again, I'll be 72." She said laughing, Connor following suit.

"So why are we here then?" he asked, resting his head on his hand, looking at her, interested.

Sarah sighed happily. "72 is a long way to go. I wanted to take a drive and watch the stars tonight because there's a meteor shower happening because of Halley's Comet. In about a few hours, the Eta Aquarid meteors will be visible. It's going to be one of the finest showers of the year, but you can only appreciate the meteors well if you're far from the city lights." She said, growing quiet suddenly. Connor waited for her to continue, looking back up to the stars, both getting lost in the lit firmament.

"I just wanted to feel that closeness again, and share it with you." She said finally. "This is, somehow, a way to connect to my family between all the daily ruckus and things I have to do. It's like a miracle." She said sighing, knowing that what she was about to say might ruin the whole night. "I know that you and your family have been apart for some time. I can tell from the way you react when the subject comes up. " She broke in lightly, noticing him tense up. Sarah readjusted her position and looked directly at him. "I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it, I'll always be here to listen. I'd never judge you, Connor. You're one of the most important people in my life now."

Connor clenched his jaw, still not looking at her. Sarah didn't mean for him to remember his birthday like this, thinking about his family issues, but she needed him to know. She needed him to know she was here.

"I'm always going to be here for you, Connor Rhodes." She said, mirroring what he had said to her that night at the hospital's roof after they had fought.

Connor turned and looked at her directly. He felt vulnerable, Sarah could tell, but that didn't stop them both from kissing lightly. It was a reassuring kiss. A kiss that egged him on to start talking.

"My mom." He paused. "When I was younger, she…" he paused again. Sarah got closer to him, running a hand though his hair lightly, relaxing him. "My mom killed herself when I was younger." He said finally, crossing his arms, Sarah tensing up at his confession. She blinked a few times before continuing caressing his hair, reassuring.

Connor sighed. "That's why I left. I left my family and headed to Mexico, where I could be away from everyone and everything. My sister and I hardly talk since then. My father… we've been apart as well." He ended, his jaw clenched again. "It was hard for us all."

Sarah kissed the side of his head, while he looked up at the stars, getting lost in them. She felt so guilty for bringing up the topic, but there was no turning back now. She had to do everything in her power to help him, just as he had helped her. He had been through so much, and not once had he ever played a victim, and that shook her.

"I know I'm not one to have a say in these things. But if my psychology sessions taught me anything, is that talking about things that upset you makes you feel better. It helps you move on, and I'll be here when you want to take that step. You're not alone."

Connor looked at her, the most serious Sarah had ever seen him. He breathed lightly, finally drawing a small smile, making Sarah feel at ease. He reached and held the back of her neck, bringing her to him, slowly kissing her. He looked at her adoringly and lied down with her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, caressing her hair smoothly. They didn't speak, both enjoying the moment, resting in a sanctuary built between them.

The minutes passed, Sarah feeling herself start to fall asleep as Connor caressed her tresses, but she opened her eyes when she heard something flash. She looked at the sky, her eyes opening wide.

"Look."

They both stared as dozens of lights flew across from each other as if they were dancing. Sarah couldn't help but stand, trying to get closer to the spectacle above her. Connor did the same, but after a while of admiring the view set his eyes on the person in front of her. How had he gotten so lucky? He had everything he needed right in front of him. He smiled emotionally as he saw the girl he loved get lost in the flashing of lights. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a moment before Connor whispered something to her.

"Remember that I told you earlier there was something I wanted to tell you?" he felt her go a little tense. "Is it okay if I just tell you now?"

Sarah gulped, but nodded, still looking up.

Connor pulled her a tad closer to her. "I wanted to tell you that you're beautiful. That you're lovely and smart. You're perfect. If I had a hundred lives, I would chose you every single time. You've changed me, Sarah Reese, and I don't know how. I just know that I'm a better man because of you, and I just know that I'm deeply and undeniably in love with you."

Sarah's eyes went wide, and turned around, looking at him. He was smiling warmly, melting her heart, the feeling she was feeling not in any way comparable to seeing a thousand stars fly. It was much better than that. A million times better.

"I love you, Sarah Reese." He said after some time, releasing a breath. "And I have to ask." He paused, Sarah looking expectant and nervous.

"Will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?

* * *

**Sooo? Tell me what you thought? I'd love to know :)**


	10. The Rejection and the Cabin

**Sorry for the delay! I was on finals, but I'm finally free to continue the story. I hope you like this chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

"What they hell do you mean you said 'you needed time to think'?!"

Sarah had been inside her apartment all day, failing to show up at the hospital and not answering anyone's calls. Yesterday had hit her hard. She didn't know why on earth she had reacted the way she had when Connor asked her to be his girlfriend. It's not that she hadn't been expecting it: she knew very well the direction in which their 'relationship' was going… but hearing him say the word _girlfriend_ out loud… It unsettled her. No. It scared her shitless.

"I don't know April. It was the first thing that came out, I swear." She said over the phone, after calling the only person that could talk some sense into her at the moment.

Sarah heard her sigh. "Look, Sarah. I know you have some issues you need help solving, and what you experienced with Joey hurt you. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you would push away someone who has gone above and beyond trying to make you happy and to prove he cares about you."

Sarah scratched the back of her neck, tears welling up as she replayed the scene in her head.

_"_ _I love you, Sarah Reese, and I have to ask: would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"_

_She felt something in her throat get stuck at the words that left his mouth. Girlfriend? Like officially? Part of her wanted to scream in joy and the other wanted to run: Run away and hide someplace where she could never be found. She felt like a deer caught in headlights._

_Her daze was interrupted after about a minute by Connor, who now looked dead serious._

_"_ _Sarah? Did you hear what I-"_

_"_ _I heard you."_

_He nodded, disappointed, his head lowering slightly. Sarah felt something in her gut twitch, like if she had slapped him hard across the face. She felt so guilty. She tried to think of something to mend the new predicament, but words started clouding her mind._

_"_ _I just… need time to think about it." she said finally, kicking herself mentally when he noticed his expression worsen. Why did she do that? Ruining the night and probably their relationship was not was she had in mind for that night. But there was no unsaying what she had said. There was no turning back time. She had screwed up big time with the possibility of no amendment._

_"_ _I thought you wanted this." He said confused and slightly cross._

_"_ _I…" The faint whisper grew quiet. She honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Did she want this? If so, she would've said yes right away, wouldn't she? What on earth was holding her back?_

_"_ _It's okay. I get it. You need time to think." He said trying to be understanding, yet anger and disappointment escorted every word._

_"_ _I'm so sorry." She gulped. "Believe me when I say this isn't about you. You've done everything right… This is something that I have to work on. I need to think. My last relationship-"_

_"_ _Is this because of him?" He asked referring to Joey, his voice loud, emphasizing the last word._

_Sarah sighed. "In a way, yeah." She nodded. "I need to work on trusting others, but mostly in trusting myself."_

_Connor sighed. "I'd never hurt you, Sarah. Not intentionally." He said to no avail. He searched her eyes one last time and saw hurt and guilt. "Look. I'd very much like to be with you, and keep going out with you. I can't deny that I want something more serious. More… official. I want you to be mine." He said almost pleading. "But I'll wait. If that's what you need, I'll wait for you. I just… don't think I can go out with you as if nothing happened. I need you to be sure of this. I can't just play along to something that will lead to nothing. I need time to think now as well."_

"Sarah Reese, are you listening to me?!"

April's incessant voice over the phone brought her back to reality. "What? What is it?"

"I've asked you at least three times what happened next."

The med student sighed. "We left and I dropped him over at his house. We didn't speak much on the way back." She said, running a hand through her locks.

"That's understandable." Said April. "You have to talk to him, Sarah."

"And say what? That I'm still not sure? I don't want to hurt him more than I already have." She paused. "I'm not an easy person to love." She concluded, a tear running free.

"Both of us know that's not true." replied April reassuringly. "You're a great person, Sarah, and loving you is easy. The problem here is that you're afraid of getting hurt again, and hurting someone else. But you don't have to be. Girl, that's what relationships are about. Hell, that's what life's about. Of trusting again, and loving, and feeling. You can't deny yourself that forever."

Silence set between them.

"Sure, you might get hurt again. But that's why I'm here for. And so is Maggie and Nat. We got your back, Sarah. You just have to let yourself take that step. Besides, Connor is a good guy. He'd never hurt you the way Joey did, I can bet my life on that."

Sarah gulped audibly. "I guess you're right."

"Damn right I am."

Sarah laughed a little and dried up her tears with the back of her hand.

"Do you love him?" April cautiously asked.

Sarah pondered her question a few seconds before she released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I do." She said finally. She furrowed her brow at her own certainty and smiled. "I really do."

"Well, we have to do something about that, now won't we?"

Sarah checked her watch: 3:35 p.m.

"I don't think he'd want to see me today, April. It's his birthday and he said he needed some time to think as well. I have to respect that."

"Hey, I'm not saying to go ahead and be disrespectful, but the more time it passes, the worse you'll both feel. You won't know unless you try."

Sarah bit her lip. She was right. She needed to do this for both of them. She wanted to.

"How come you always manage to make me see sense?"

"It's a gift. I come from a long line of witches." She joked, making Sarah chuckle.

"Thanks, April. I mean it."

"Don't thank me yet." She said. "Come on, let's go get your man." She said in a sassy voice.

* * *

After Sarah hung up she waited not too long before April actually showed at her apartment. Both drove to Connor's house, April trying to give her some sort of encouraging and support. Once they arrived, Sarah exited the car, and rushed to ring the doorbell several times, her pulse pounding in her head.

Connor opened the door annoyed by the insistence, his expression falling slightly when he noticed her. But that only made Sarah surer of what she wanted to tell him. She never wanted to be the reason of him looking that way again.

"I was scared." She started. "I was afraid of hurting, myself and you. I didn't want to risk how things were going between us, but that's not what you wanted. You want something more serious. More 'official'." She paused. Connor tried to speak but Sarah didn't let him. "I was an idiot. I should've seen beyond my own interests and focused on yours too. I have failed you again, and I know that I will continue to do so. That's who I am. But I also know that I'll try my best not to. I'll try to make you happy, and I'll try to be my best with you."

Connor's expression softened. Sarah paused, allowing him to talk. "So… does this mean…?"

"It's a yes from me. A confused, scared, but very sure yes. I want to be with you." She swallowed. "Because I love you."

Connor's eyebrows shot upwards, clearly taken aback.

"I love you, Connor Rhodes, and I'd love to be your girlfriend." She said, her voice uneasy, tears threating to fall from her eyes. "And I'd love to be yours."

Connor caressed the side of her face, relief painted on his features. "I love you too, baby." He said sighing and taking her into his arms. Sarah couldn't stop the tears that fell. She didn't want to.

Connor drew apart slightly and kissed her heartily, Sarah melting into the kiss. They broke apart after a few seconds, Connor wiping her tears with his thumb. "I'd wait for you always." He whispered into her hair before kissing the side of her head.

An exaggerated clearing of a throat made them aware of their surroundings. Both turned and spotted April's head popping from the driver's window. "So? Are you guys a couple now?" she asked cunningly.

Both laughed slightly. "I guess we are." Said Connor happily, holding Sarah by the waist lightly.

April fist-pumped the air making both laugh.

"So I guess now it's back to reality, huh?" Sarah wondered.

"Not quite yet."

Sarah furrowed her brow, looking at her boyfriend.

Connor looked back sneakily. "Well it's my birthday today and I wanted to spend the day with you and the guys. So since it's the weekend… I rented a cabin a few hours away from Chicago."

"You rented a cabin." She said rather than asked. "But what about the hospital and our schedules?"

"Already taken care of with the dean." He said with a shrug as if it was not a big deal. "We all need a little vacation. I just hoped you made up your mind before we missed our chance to be there and confirm the reservation."

"And when exactly do we have to be there?"

"In about-" he paused to check his clock. "Three hours."

Sarah grinned and shook her head disbelievingly. "You're unbelievable. You seriously rented a cabin?"

"Yeah. Cabin for 7. You, Maggie, April, Nat, Will, Ethan and I. Oh, and the baby. So I guess I better start making a few calls." He said drawing out his phone.

"What makes you sure they'll say yes to going?"

Connor looked at her, sideways. "Believe me, they'll say yes."

* * *

Sarah closed her eyes as the wind hit her face and gushed through her hair. She enjoyed rides like this, where she could appreciate the trees passing the window by, the sun shined bright and music blasted from the radio. She felt ecstatic. She felt at home and was definitely excited: She loved everything outdoors related, so what better than to spend a weekend in the woods with her friends and recently new boyfriend.

They had all agreed to Connor's plan. Maggie, April and Ethan went together on Maggie's van along with most of the supplies, like food, drinks, blankets and what not. Will and Nat travelled with the baby, constantly making stops along the way to tend to his needs, and Sarah and Connor moved on his black Audi.

Sarah sighed happily and adjusted her position. She replayed yesterday in her mind, hugging her knees and sinking slightly in the car's seat in the process.

"I love you, gorgeous."

The declaration made her stop what she was thinking and look over at Connor, his gaze set on the road, sunglasses on. He looked so content it made her want to yell out loud.

"I love you too." She settled on saying. "So much."

He took her hand in his and traced patterns in the back of it, something that she now knew he did when he was happy or at peace. He then brought it back to his lips before glancing at her quickly and flashing one of his perfect smiles her way.

Connor's phone ringed a few seconds later, Sarah rolling her eyes and answering for him when she recognized Will's number. It was the fifth time he called to say they were stopping somewhere.

"Hello?"

"Rhodes?"

"It's Reese, Will. Everything okay?"

"Oh. Hey Sarah. Yeah, we're just stopping at a gas station so we can get some things for Nat."

"Again?" she whined, evoking a grin from Connor. "Will, you do know we have to be there in like 20 minutes or else the reservation's canceled, right?"

"We'll meet you there, okay?"

Sarah heard a few mumbles from the other line. "Wha- You want a hotdog with onions? Who on earth puts onions on a hotdog? Honestly, woman, weren't the cravings supposed to stop when- Ouch!"

Sarah shook her head and sighed at the banter. "Fine, we'll see you there. Hurry up." She said before she hung up and put the phone in the counter between their seats.

"What was that all about?"

"Will and Nat will meet us there. They stopped at a gas station to get something for Nat. _Again_." She said a little angry, resting her chin on her balled fist while she stared out the window.

Connor laughed. "Sweetheart, relax. The cabin isn't going anywhere. I'll just make a few calls to make sure we're on our way and everything will be settled."

"You're right." Sarah sighed and focused on the skyline, getting lost on the shapes of the clouds.

They talked and laughed some more before they finally reached the woods. "There it is." said Connor lowering his head so he could see clearly through the windshield: A beautiful log cabin stood in front of them, standing strong above a piece of ground near a transparent-clear lake. It looked modern, yet very suitable for them, with a fire pit on the front and some hammocks tied on nearby trees and a row of kayaks aligned near the lakeside.

"Oh my gosh, it's beautiful." she said in awe, exiting the car quickly to get a better view.

Maggie's van was parked sideways, April and Ethan walking back and forth from it to the cabin with supplies, so they both said hi and helped bring the remaining things inside. Connor stepped aside to talk to the caretaker and arrange their stay while the others continued bringing their stuff inside. When Sarah first put a foot inside, she stopped midway at the entry door, Ethan almost running into her. She looked around impressed: There was a spacious kitchen and living room with the ultimate technology, contemporary lamps hanging, a mini bar, multiple sofas, a chimney, and a picture window from the floor to the wooden ceiling. An enormous plasma TV hanged above the chimney. Trees of all shapes and colors crowded the main view, conjuring a hitched breath from her.

"Amazing, right?" Ethan said, understanding her captivation and making his way past her carrying a box of apples to the kitchen. He smiled at the look on her face and then left for more supplies. Sarah was left alone for a few seconds holding a brown paper bag full of vegetables to herself, but they were long enough for Connor to walk by briskly and kiss her cheek lightly before heading to the kitchen as well. He winked at her quickly as everyone else started crowding the living room.

"I'm telling you, they won't be here for at least another hour." April betted Maggie.

"Give them a break, they have a baby." Ethan said, opening a beer and handing one to Connor. He offered the girls one, but all refused.

"Yeah, except they never stopped for Owen. They stopped to use the bathroom, and buy chips, and fill the car with gas, and…"

"Okay, April we get it." Said Connor with a smile.

"What's the rush for them to get here anyway?" asked Ethan, taking a chug of his beer.

Maggie and April exchanged a quick look. "We need to discuss a few things, and we need Nat to be here." Said Maggie finally with a suspicious gleam in her eye.

"Women things." Added April with a squint. Maggie rolled her eyes instead of smacking her forehead.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "April, I told you not to tell yet!"

"But it's Maggie! We can trust her!" she protested.

"What did we miss?" said Will's voice from the entryway, carrying Owen's empty baby carrier followed by Nat patting Owen in the back.

Sarah looked at Connor, who nodded her way. "Well, you're all here. I guess now's a good time to say it."

"Say what?" asked Ethan confused.

Connor made his way to were the med student was standing and held her hand. Natalie's eyes opened like saucers and gasped. Will still had no clue of what was going on as well as Ethan.

"Well, Connor and I are together now." She said shyly.

Natalie screamed in joy. "I knew it! I so knew it!" she said walking over as she held Owen to where Sarah and Connor were to hug them. She then turned to Will whose face was unreadable. "You owe me money." She whispered loudly, making everyone laugh.

"Congratulations!" said Ethan smiling happily, hugging Sarah and shaking Connor's hand followed by Maggie who embraced both.

Will was the last one to approach the pair. "I trust you'll do a good job taking care of her." He said shaking Connor's hand.

"You can rest assured." Said Connor sternly but with a smile.

Will then hugged Sarah. "I'm happy for you, kid. Wish you nothing but the best."

Sarah nodded. Neither had ever said it out loud, but Sarah felt that she had developed a strong relationship with Will over the time. He had always been there for her somehow when things seemed to go wrong, so she was more than happy that he approved of her relationship with Connor.

"I propose a toast." Said Maggie pouring herself a glass of juice. They all walked to the kitchen counter and grabbed beers, sodas or juices. "A toast," she continued, "to new beginnings."

"To new beginnings." They all said and drank.

"Well, now that that's been settled, let's start with the making of the food, shall we?" said Will, rubbing his hands together.

"We shall." Agreed Ethan.

* * *

The first night of their vacation arrived quickly. They had spent the day kayaking, trekking, and shooting discs among other fun activities, so by the time nightfall came, they were all huddled on the couches watching a movie on the giant TV with the lights off. Sarah and Connor occupied the largest couch, Sarah calling dibs before anyone else could sit there, so she rested her back against his chest while he held her comfortably.

"Whose idea was this again?" asked Will visibly disturbed by the movie they were watching.

"Shhh!"

They were watching a Japanese horror movie that Sarah was trying hard to avoid watching. She honestly didn't consider herself an easily scared person, but the movie was too much for her to handle. Thirty minutes into the movie she was already covered almost from head to toe on a blanket and cuddled up to Connor, who reassured her everything was fine once in a while, laughed when she jolted because of a jumpscare and kissed her temple trying to calm her down.

By the time one of the characters was brutally cut in half, Natalie reached for the remote.

"That's it." She said turning the TV off, no one protesting. "I don't know who chose this but this was horrible." She said still trembling.

"But it's a classic." Ethan argued, almost covered from head to toe himself.

"Well, we're not watching it." She said tossing the control on the couch. "I have no idea how am I going to catch sleep tonight." She said shaking her head, trying to erase the movie's images. "I'm going to bed." She said saying goodnight to everyone before she climbed up the stairs, Maggie following suit her after a while. They had agreed that it was fair that the women stayed in one room and the men in the other, as to not cause any conflicts.

One by one each got up, said goodnight and headed to bed, leaving Connor and Sarah alone.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" Connor asked, his lips pressed lightly against the side of her head, an arm draped across her waist.

"I'm not tired." She said trying to stay awake, but letting a yawn escape her.

"Baby, you're exhausted."

Sarah shook her head.

"Are you too scared? Is that it?"

She stopped shaking her head no and paused before finally nodding.

"Why don't we catch something else on TV that can distract you a little bit." He said reaching for the remote and turning the TV back on, looking for something else to watch on Netflix.

"Anything you'd like to watch in particular?"

Sarah blushed at his question, making him press on the issue. "Come on, tell me. I won't judge." He said kissing the top of her head.

"Can you put on Pretty Little Liars?"

Connor chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Whatever you want, princess."

He scrolled through the series and clicked on Sarah's selection.

"Season 4." She whispered, feeling the color in her cheeks deepen, but Connor simply nodded and complied with her request.

A few minutes into the episode, Connor was already fast asleep, evoking a smile from her. She was truly lucky to have him. He was now her boyfriend. Hers only. And she was his girlfriend. Only time could tell the trials and tribulations that awaited them… but also the joys and the adventures.

She nestled her face on the crook of his neck while she watched the series, unaware that sleep was beginning to creep over her. A few minutes later she felt herself doze off in his arms, feeling his arm tighten slightly around her protectively. She was glad she was where she was, and that she was with him, safe and awaiting a brand new day full of perfect uncertainty.

She kissed the side of his neck slightly.

"Happy birthday, Connor." She whispered before letting herself get lost in the land of dreams.

* * *

**I'd love to know what you think. Please leave a review! :)**


	11. The Return and The Detective

Months had flown by in the blink of an eye, and Sarah Reese was now back from what she called her 'very unfortunate vacation'. She had been granted permission to be absent from work for Christmas and New Year because of her grandmother's serious health conditions, and now that the beloved woman had passed away, she was back to fulfill her duties in the hospital's laboratory.

She felt a mixture of pain and relief. Relief to be back and doing what she loved and to be with the people she loved, but at the same time she felt somewhat hollow. Her grandmother had died. People died every day, but not the people who were close to her.

Connor had called her and messaged her every day, his voice many times the lullaby she needed to fall sleep. The day it had happened, he had flown to Utah to be with her and to help her get her act together. Sarah didn't feel she was too much of an emotionally strong person, but when Connor was with her, all her fears and worries eased.

A familiar smell shook her out of her mental flashbacks. She took a long breath, and caught a whiff of freshly made coffee as she walked towards the hospital's main entrance. She followed the smell and ended up at the coffee shop she used to work at a few months ago.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," said a cheerful voice. Sarah smiled as she turned around.

"Hello, Dr. Charles."

The man looked up at her from his recently folded newspaper with a genuine warm smile.

"You good, kid?"

"Better now that I'm home," she replied sitting across from him.

"You know," he said with a feigned air of mystery "A dark, broody doctor came by not too long ago, asking for you.

Sarah's smile half-dropped, instantly getting nervous. Even though all her fellow doctors knew about her and Connor's relationship, she knew that any authority would judge the relationship between a doctor and a medical student.

"R-really? Who?"

"Dr. Rhodes. He wants to see you in the West Wing to keep you up to date with patients."

"Oh, okay. Sure, then I must be on my way," she replied hastily, almost spilling Dr. Charles's drink as she stood up with a spring.

"Weren't you going to order something?" he asked with a quizzical brow.

Sarah opened and closed her mouth as she stood in the middle of the hallway "I just think it's best if I start catching up with work now," she said, signaling the exit door. "I have weeks of files to work on."

She headed for the door, but stopped when she heard Dr. Charles voice once again.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to him quickly.

The same warm smile adorned his features again. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Sarah released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She nodded towards him and managed to give the same smile back. "Thanks, Dr. Charles."

"Anything you need kid, just let me know."

"Thank you."

The West Wing was not far from the coffee shop. Sarah almost flew in a beeline, expectant to see the man she thought of 24/7.

Over the past weeks Sarah had come to the realization that she was becoming one of those women. And by those women she meant the ones that couldn't function properly without a dose of their significant others per day. She also came to realize that she hadn't seen Connor in almost a month, so perhaps it was the feeling of missing him that was talking.

Whatever it was, all she knew is that she hardly could keep her heartbeat under control.

Yes, even after 8 months of dating, Connor Rhodes still made her blush, make her feel nervous and make her stomach flutter.

She walked through the entrance doors with the mindset of stopping for no greetings from anyone before she saw Connor.

"Hey girl! You're finally back!"

April's face was suddenly in front of her like an excited puppy. Sarah debated on continuing her path before she was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug.

"A-april…" she choked out. "Oxygen. Can't. Please."

"Oh! Sorry, it's just I've been working out a lot more since you were gone. Sometimes I can't keep these babies in control!" she said excitedly, kissing her left bicep.

"O-kay…"

"How are you?"

The change in her tone drove the conversation to a more serious setting.

"I'm good. I really am. Time off helped a lot," she said with a sigh.

"And I'm sure the boyfriend helped out too," she said with a grin.

Sarah chuckled. "Yeah, the boyfriend helped too."

"Speaking of boyfriends… Somebody left your favorite flowers on the nurses' desk this morning," April sang.

"What?" Sarah frowned as April dragged her to said desk. There they were: purple orchids sitting on a glass vase filled with water.

"They're beautiful," she said in awe.

"They are, aren't they?" April said with a romantic gleam on her eye. "When the flower guy said they were for you I swear I heard someone cry."

Sarah wasn't listening as she gaped at the gesture with love and happiness. She had to see him now.

"April," she blurted, interrupting her rant, which was now about shoes. "I love you, and I love seeing you, but I have to go. Connor's expecting me."

April nodded and sighed. "Say no more, go to your man, I'll be around here when you come back."

With that said, Sarah walked half-trotted to the West Wing's main hall.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him, standing at the other end of the corridor, face down, looking at some files on his hands. As if she had called him with her mind, he looked up.

Sarah didn't wait to see any reaction on his face and stood in front of him, doctors and nurses blurry on her peripheral vision as she focused only on him.

"Reese. Good to see you've returned," he said with a smile.

She didn't say anything. She ached to hold him, to touch him somehow. But she couldn't with all these people watching them. The idea of not being able to so made her want to cry.

"Shall we go into the main conference room? I want to discuss a few things with you," he said as he walked with her and pointed to said room.

Once they were inside, Connor, drew the blinds down. When he finished with the last one, Sarah wasted no time to wrap him up in her arms from behind, burying her face on his back. Her grip was strong, almost clawing at his white coat with her nails.

He didn't move, allowing her to have this moment. She noticed his breathing was steady and calm, unlike hers, which was ragged and choked with the threat of tears. She had missed him so much. So much so that she found herself trembling, unable to handle all the emotions she was feeling.

It was only when Connor heard a sniff that he untangled himself from her arms and looked at her.

Sarah looked at him as if scanning his face into her brain. His scruff was darker, and his blue eyes more intense than she had ever seen them before. Her breath caught up in her throat when she noticed his eyes drag from her own to her lips.

A second later, she was being kissed. Passionately, but in such a careful way that made her fearful of making the wrong move. The fear went away when Connor intensified the kiss and held the back of her neck. Sarah let herself be driven by him. She obeyed his every move and answered to his every caress, feeling defenseless.

When they finally broke up, Connor hugged her tightly to himself. "You have no idea of how much I've missed you, my darling."

Sarah tried to speak, but the knot on her throat betrayed her. She closed her mouth and nodded into his shoulder. Connor kissed the side of her jaw and neck, melting her into him. She tried to speak again, but no sound came out. She wanted to tell him she had missed him too. That she loved him, but if she did, she was surely going to break down.

"I know, sweetheart," he whispered to her. "It's okay."

They stayed like that a couple of minutes or maybe more, the brunette could not tell. All she knew was that she was safe with him. She was okay.

Connor drew apart slightly but still held her by the waist. "When did you get here?" he asked, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"An hour ago," she sighed, running her hands up and down his sleeved arms.

Connor nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Your beard is darker," Sarah pointed out, evoking a chuckle from him.

"And you got more beautiful since I last saw you."

She shook her head and buried her head into his chest.

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "I wish I could've spent more time with you."

Sarah shook her head. "You had work."

"Still…"

Sarah shut him up with a small kiss, which Connor returned. She then lay her head on his chest again.

"Thank you for the flowers."

A moment of silence set in between them.

"What flowers?"

"The orchids," she said not moving from the position she was in. "They're beautiful."

Sarah felt herself be moved by his hands and she met his furrowed brow.

"I didn't send flowers."

Sarah blinked a few times.

"What do you mean? They were addressed to… me…" her voice quieted down as Connor's eyes grew darker.

Sarah shook her head slowly, coming to the same realization as he. "No… I mean it couldn't be…"

"Oh, yes, it could." Connor glanced at her one last time before he left the room, furious. Sarah followed close, both heading to the same location.

"Maggie," Sarah heard Connor say. "The flowers Sarah got this morning. I want to see them."

"What is…?"

"Now, Maggie," he said a tad violently. Sarah touched his arm, and he instantly relaxed. When Maggie brought the vase to the top of the desk, Connor looked at her apologetically before scanning for a card.

"Here," said Sarah, retrieving the small paper.

From a secret admirer. Remember: I'm ALWAYS watching you. I'll be seeing you tonight. XX

"It's him," said Sarah, exasperated and scared. "It's Joey, it's him."

"But it's been months since…"

"I know, but it's him. I'm sure of it. He's not going to let this go."

"Let what go?"

Sarah gulped audibly. "Me."

Connor dragged a hand through his mouth, clearly stressed and angry. He had started to shake as well, and his teeth were gritted tightly shut.

"What does it mean he'll see you tonight?" asked Connor, transfixed by the message.

Sarah kept quiet, racking her brains for a logical explanation without success. "I don't know."

"We need to call the police," Connor said, visibly shaken.

"Connor…"

"No," he said looking at her. "This is stalking, Sarah. This is invasion of privacy. He has crossed the line. He crossed it a long time ago."

"I know."

He then lowered his voice so only she could hear. "How am I supposed to keep you safe when that lunatic is out there planning God knows what?"

"I know," Sarah insisted more forcefully, making Connor focus on her and relax for a second. "I'll go to the station after my shift."

"No," he shook his head.

"N-no?"

"No. There's no evidence, they'll put you on hold until forever."

"Then what should I do?"

"I should stay with you."

"Connor… you have to perform surgery later, you know that's not an option."

Connor dragged his fingers through his hair, trying to come up with a solution. His eyes brightened at last.

"There's someone who owes me a favor. Let me make a call," he said, taking his phone to his ear and turning away from her in a haste.

"What? Who?" asked Sarah with a furrowed brow.

Connor looked at her as he waited for the other person to pick up. When that someone did, he perked up a little. "Lindsay? It's Rhodes."

"So how long do you want me to watch her?" said the raspy voice of the Chicago Police Department Intelligence Unit's detective.

"Just this night. For now."

Sarah, Erin Lindsay and Connor, stood in the middle of Sarah's apartment, both Sarah and Connor briefing the other woman on the situation. It was 9p.m. already, and Connor soon had to leave to perform his surgery. The warm yellow light of the lamps slowly flickered through each of their faces, making the setting seem a little more serious than the issue perhaps was.

"Look. You know I'd do anything to help you out," Lindsay started off "but…" she turned towards Sarah with curiosity. "What's this about?"

"My ex-boyfriend," she replied before Connor could, taking whatever little control she had over what was happening. "He had been stalking and calling me a few months ago. It seemed he got tired of it after a while, but we think now he's back."

"And why call me? Why not file a complaint?"

"No evidence," Connor said simply. "He wrote her a card, saying he was seeing her tonight. But nothing proves that it's him. The flowers where delivered from an anonymous call and from an anonymous account. It could be anyone for the police. I just… want to make sure-"

"Want to make sure your girl's safe," Lindsay finished for him, nodding as she understood. "Don't worry, she will be." She then turned to Sarah again, looking at her with more detail. "Are you a doctor too?"

"Um no… medical student."

Erin grinned. "Wow, Doc., didn't know you liked them young," she told Connor with a snicker.

"Aaand with that, I'm gone," said Connor, rolling his eyes, but smiling when he saw Sarah turn a deep shade of red at the comment. He took her lightly by the elbows and pulled her in for a soft kiss. "I'll see you as soon as I can, okay? Please call me if anything happens," he said, turning to look at both.

"Sure thing, boss," said Lindsay, hugging him goodbye. "This makes us even, though," she warned.

Connor closed an eye, pretending to think. "No, it doesn't."

Lindsay's smile dropped slightly. "Yes, it does."

"I'll think about it," he said at last, exiting the door. "Bye, beautiful," he said to Sarah before he was gone, leaving the two women alone.

Erin scoffed in feigned annoyance. "Unbelievable." She threw her hands in the air before she made herself way to the living room.

Sarah stood alone, dumbfounded. Since when did Connor know her? She shook her head as she heard a sound from where the other woman was at and followed her. She let out a small smile as she watched her get comfortable on the couch as if she were in her own place.

"I have popcorn, in case you want to watch a movie," Sarah said meekly, signaling the kitchen.

"I was thinking something more on the lines of alcohol," she replied with a whisper.

"Oh. Um… well, I-I don't drink. Much. I don't drink much that is…"

Erin looked down as she nodded.

"But I think I juuust might have some beer. Let me go check."

Sarah practically bolted out of the stranger's sight. She knew that Connor trusted her, but she didn't know her at all. She seemed tough and mysterious, indicating she was not a person to be messed with. Sarah desperately wanted to know how Connor had met her.

"So what was the favor?" Sarah asked from across the room as she grabbed a couple of beer bottles.

"Pardon?" she yelled back, as she scanned the channels of the TV.

"What favor did you owe Connor?" asked Sarah softly as she sat beside her, not too close, and handed her a beer.

Erin looked down and smiled for a second. "Let's just say he was there when I needed to get out of an issue."

Sarah nodded, Lindsay's answer not giving her too much detail. In fact, she felt more confused.

"Drugs," was all that the detective said as she looked at her confused face.

Sarah instantly started turning red. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Hey, it's okay. Your guy was one of the people who helped me out of addiction. There's nothing wrong with that," she said a tad defensively, taking a chug of beer. Sarah looked at the older woman and suddenly felt as if she were looking at a teenager, with her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin buried on her knees.

"No, there's nothing wrong with that," Sarah finally replied softly.

They stayed quiet for a little while, watching a boring movie before Sarah spoke again.

"How did you two meet?"

"Will introduced us."

"Will Halstead? You know him?"

Erin laughed. "Well it would suck if I didn't, seeing as he's my boyfriend's brother."

Sarah's eyes opened wide, now understanding, but didn't reply back. After what seemed hours, she felt herself beginning to doze off. Her eyelids felt heavy, and no matter in what position she sat, she was not comfortable. Her mind wandered to Connor and to how the surgery was going. Then to Joey and whether if he would show up tonight and try something. She trembled at the thought, and Erin seemed to notice this.

"You okay?" she asked, a genuine concern in her voice.

"I'm fine."

"You should probably get some sleep. You look tired."

"I'm used to not sleeping," replied Sarah stubbornly. She didn't want to close her eyes.

Lindsay sighed. "Listen, kid..."

"Sarah."

Lindsay stopped at her interruption. "Okay, Sarah. I'm here to keep you safe, okay? Nothing's going to happen to you. Do you think Rhodes would let me live if I did?"

Sarah grew more serious. "No. No, he's not one to be as forgiving on that matter."

"Why do you say that?" asked the detective, taking another long drink.

"A few months ago, I was attacked at the hospital. He blamed himself," she said simply.

Erin nodded. "Well. We can't have that now, can we?"

Sarah smiled, and with her, Erin.

"Go on, get some sleep. It's almost 3:30. I promise I'll wake you up if something happens."

As if on cue, a hard knock on the door was heard. The detective immediately drew a finger to her lips, signaling silence to the younger woman. She then proceeded to retrieve her gun from the side table and near the door. Sarah watched her practically tiptoe and hold the gun with both hands firmly. Another knock was heard. Sarah stared at the other woman as she thought her actions carefully. Erin then quickly signaled for her.

"I need your ROBE," she mouthed clearly. Sarah furrowed her brow, but obeyed her orders and went to the bathroom to get it. She handed it to her and watched as Erin wrapped it around herself. She put her gun on her pocket and messed her hair with her hands. Sarah immediately caught up with her plan: she was pretending to live here.

Erin signaled her to leave for her room, and she did, but pressed an ear on the nearest door to the hallway.

"Who is it?" Erin asked with a fake tired voice.

No response.

"It's three o'clock in the morning, damn it, who the hell is it?" she said more loudly through the door. When there was no answer once again, the detective opened the door, hiding her gun behind it. The small gap made it impossible for someone to look inside. When she got a good look on who was outside, she instantly found the curly-haired, freckled man with glasses to fit Connor's description.

"What do you want?" she asked with a yawn, pretending that she had been asleep.

"I'm looking for Sarah Reese."

"Who?" Lindsay asked annoyed, with a furrowed brow.

"Sarah Reese."

"Who's asking?"

"That depends on who wants to know."

Lindsay waved him off with a tired eye roll. "Look, man. I've been living here since the past two months and I don't know anyone with that name. Now leave," she said closing the door. Before it was completely shut, though, his hand stopped it.

Erin looked him dead in the eye. "What's your deal, asshole?"

"I know she lives here."

"I told you, dickhead-"

"I saw her leave this apartment this morning."

Lindsay scoffed, looking at him with a gleam in her eye. "So what, you're a stalker now? Who are you, her brother?"

"I'm her boyfriend."

"Really? You don't seem to be boyfriend material," Lindsay pushed again, only to be stopped more forcefully by him.

"I want to see Sarah," said Joey getting angrier by the second.

"That's not gonna happen."

"Listen, you little bitch…"

"No, you listen, you fucking asshole." The gun was suddenly in Joey's face, Erin ticking with anger as she spoke. "I don't want to see you anywhere around here, is that clear? She is under my care, and Chicago's P.D. You lay one finger on her, I cut your balls off. You come looking for her, I make sure you rot in jail. You even stand a few miles too close from the restraining order I'm issuing on your sorry ass and I make sure you never lay. A. Foot. On. This. City. Again. Do I make myself clear?"

Sarah smiled to herself as she heard the detective's words. She didn't know if they were part of a threat policemen were used to make to scare people off or if she had meant them, but either way, she was glad she had a new person in her life who could back her up.

"Fine," said Joey's quieter voice. "I'll go. But this isn't over."

"You better hope it is," spat back Erin, gun still pointed at him.

After Erin had seen his speed off, he closed the door with a slam, her body resting against it, exhausted.

"Is he gone?"

She regained her posture as soon as she saw Sarah, a more confident look on her face. "Yeah, he's gone." She dropped on the couch, Sarah following suit. "I have to tell you, Sarah. He's doesn't seem like he's going to be leaving anytime soon. He will follow you around. And he has been watching you since this morning. That is if he hasn't been watching you for way longer."

"I know," Sarah said solemnly. "I heard." She wasn't scared anymore. She was angry. She was furious at Joey for not letting her be. For noting giving her peace.

"I will issue a restraining order, but I'm afraid that won't stop him. You must call me the next time you see something weird around here, okay? Even the slightest thing out of place. We don't know what this asshole is capable of."

A phone suddenly started ringing, interrupting their conversation. Sarah's phone.

"It's probably Connor," she said, bolting out to her room, Erin following suit, not easily relaxed. When she reached Sarah she noticed, her fingers frozen on the device as she stared the caller's number.

"It's him," she said quietly, but Lindsay managed to hear her.

"Listen, Sarah. This is entirely up to you. If you answer, it might help me get more information from him, but you don't have to if-"

Sarah didn't let her finish as she clicked the answer button and then the speaker.

"Who is this?" she asked.

No one answered.

"I said, who is this?!" she asked, furiously.

Paced breathing was heard. Sarah felt she was in a horror movie. A movie she didn't want to be part of in any way.

"What do you want?!"

The breathing stopped, both girls looking steadily at one another.

"I want you to look inside," said the grave voice of a man.

"W-what? Inside what?"

Silence again.

Erin grabbed the phone and was about to hang up before three words left Sarah with a freezing chill down her spine, making her blood turn cold. She felt weak in the knees, and she felt familiar spots ache from when she was almost raped at the hospital, the pain throbbing with increasing intensity with every passing second.

"The laundry room."


	12. The Crime and the Disappointment

Sarah ran down the stairs as fast as she could.

I was her fault. If she had drawn a line between her and Joey the first moment he had started displaying a strange behavior…

She shook her head with violence. There’s no way of knowing what could’ve happened now. All that mattered was that no one was hurt. That what expected her in that tiny, dirty room on the first floor was nothing for her to be frightened of.

But who was she kidding? She was scared to death already. He stomach tied and untied itself with knots of nervousness.

“Sarah, wait!”

She didn’t listen. Didn’t stop. Flashes of people’s faces ran through her mind like lightning. She felt responsible. She WAS responsible.

Once she reached the first floor, Erin had already caught up with her and had yanked her arm back with a tad bit of force.

“Listen to me,” she said on edge, her controlled voice differing from Sarah’s out-of-breath one. “Whatever is in there, could be dangerous to us, the building, or hell, even the whole neighborhood. We don’t know what that asshole is capable of!”

“I need to see,” Sarah insisted, retrieving her arm.

“No,” Erin said sternly and with a hint of a shout. “What you need is to call the police if you want to help. You’re a civilian Sarah, it’s my job to protect you. Not to mention Connor put me in charge of you,” she added, shaking her head. “There’s no way I can let you go into that room.”

“But-”

“Stop,” Erin warned.

“I can’t just sit back while you-”

“Yes, you can,” she said taking hold of her shoulders. “You want to be held responsible for a gas explosion? A building collapse?” she said in a softer tone.

Sarah gulped. In her frenzied mind she had overlooked that possibility.

“Believe me, you don’t. If there’s anything you _should_ see, I’ll call you. But right now I need you to round up everyone and clear the building, okay?” she said, letting her arms drop.

Sarah debated on what to do. “But what about you?”

“I’ll call backup.”

Erin pulled out her phone dialing a number with haste, yet in a peaceful manner.

“But-”

“Sarah,” she said turning to her, device to her ear. “Please, GO!”

The yell made her mind kick into action. She nodded fervently (more to herself than to Erin) and left her sight, calling and yelling at every door in the place.

Her mind was still elsewhere. On what could possibly be in that room. She prayed Heavens that Joey hadn’t… that he…

Her phone rang. Connor.

“Connor,” she said, out of breath.

“ _Hey baby. Everything okay with Lindsay?”_

“I…” she sighed.

_“What’s wrong?”_

“Come over. Something happened,” she gulped. “I’m with Detective Lindsay, I’m okay,” she added quickly before worrying him.

_“I’ll be there in five,”_ said his now serious voice.

* * *

 

The police and Connor arrived coincidentally almost at the same time. Sarah turned towards the screeching tires of the familiar black Volvo with her arms around herself. Connor half-parked as he exited the car and trotted towards her, holding her close to him.

“What happened?” he asked with a clenched jaw, not looking at her, but at the officers.

“Joey was here. Left a message to check the laundry room.”

Connor tensed slightly and drew apart to take a good look at her.

“Any idea of what that could mean?”

Sarah opened and closed her mouth. “Not really. Just something horrible.”

Connor kissed her forehead briefly in comfort. “I’m going to talk to Lindsay, I’ll be back in a second.”

As he sprinted towards said woman, she turned towards a voice that called her.

She saw Nat and Will, both panting heavily and visibly shaken.

“What are you doing here?” asked Sarah worried.

“Jay told me what happened,” Will said. “Are you okay?”

Sarah nodded, her brow still in a crease. She felt Nat’s hand on her back as they all witnessed how policemen broke the door down after scanning for suspicious activity. Connor stood afar, covering his eyes with the sleeve of his lab coat as debris fell from one of the walls. One second later he was inside, following Lindsay up close.

Sarah felt upset at him for a moment. She knew he wasn’t supposed to go in there. She felt her heart pound in her ears as she waited for them to come out, every other sound or sight becoming indistinct from her vision on the open door. She didn’t have the time to process things clearly before a great number of officers bolted out the place, their hands covering their mouths and noses in disgust.

That was cue for Sarah to sprint towards said room, ignoring Will’s calls and pushing Nat’s hand away.

She climbed through the debris and spotted Connor staring straight downwards to a specific spot in the middle of the rubble. She walked up decidedly up to him before stopping dead on her tracks.

The smell. Something burning. Rotten.

She ignored her gag reflex as it insisted, practically begged, that she threw up. She held both hands to her mouth and nose as she approached Connor, Lindsay and Will’s brother. She barely stole a peak before turning away as if shocked by a live wire.

Connor didn’t comfort her. Sarah would be surprised if he had even noticed she was there. He was in a trance, his eyes unable to believe what lay in front of him.

“Wh-what is… _that_?”

Ahead of them lay a splatter of what could only be recognized as blood, charred bones, and visceral contents. The scene was gruesome and shocking to watch. Sarah saw blood and guts every day, but nothing compared to this. She could see extreme violence in the act. Anger. Hurt. Something done with malice.

Jay kneeled beside the crime scene in question, unable to call a certain answer.

“A cat,” said Lindsay’s faraway voice. Sarah turned to her and felt her stomach drop as the other woman held a striped, dismembered tail with her gloved hands, clearly upset and surprised.

“He… killed a cat.” said Connor.

“Not just that,” said Jay, angry and confused. “He blew it up.”

Sarah closed her eyes with force, fighting tears. How could this be happening? How could a human being do this? She felt something on her chest she recognized as absolute terror.

“Wait. What is that?”

Amidst the horror lay a piece of paper. Jay stretched his arm to it, avoiding the splatter and retrieving the stained, white square and managing to open it carefully without ripping it. He stared at the paper for a few seconds before looking up at his girlfriend and holding it out to her.

“What does it say?” asked Sarah, stressed.

Jay diverted his eyes towards the door as he spotted Will and Nat approaching.

“Don’t. Get her out of here,” he barked at Will, signaling Nat with her head.

Will looked over to his brother and scanned his eyes through the people in the room before sighing and hurrying Nat and himself out before she could see anything.

“What does it say?” asked Connor this time.

“That’s confidential,” said Erin putting the paper away on a plastic bag, not looking at neither him nor Sarah. “This is now evidence and you are not allowed to-”

“Oh, bullshit!” yelled Sarah, cutting her off and startling everyone. She was done with not knowing things and people protecting her. “Cut the crap. I _know_ it’s for me. I KNOW. Read it,” she said decidedly. “Believe me. It will do me worse not knowing.”

“I’m afraid I-”

“Lindsay,” interrupted Connor, angry.

The detective looked at her partner, stressed and unsure. Jay sighed, distressed, yet nodded slowly.

Erin sighed, angry at herself and angry at the bastard responsible before staring Sarah dead in the eye.

_“_ It says: _Look what you made me do”._

* * *

 

Three days had gone by after what had happened at Sarah’s apartment complex. She currently lay on one of the lounge’s sofas, her arm draped across her forehead, her thoughts circling the scene that had given her bone-chilling nightmares since it had happened.

A couple of nurses rushed by, and she wasn’t surprised to hear her name among the whispered chatter. She was not only in every single member of the hospital’s staff mouths, but also a small report about her had been issued on yesterday’s morning news.

Basically, Joey was now being searched by the police. Not consistently, though. A statement about his appearance and intentions was mentioned, warning Chicago about him and implying that if he was seen, he was to be reported immediately, for he was dangerous.

Sarah knew that was not going to stop him. She knew how far he could go. She wasn’t safe.

She had been staying with Nat since it happened, amidst her own refusal. She didn’t want to involve her in any way. She didn’t want to involve anyone, because every single thing related to her, Joey could use against her. Her job, her friends, her relationship…

A kiss on her shoulder startled her.

She relaxed and half-smiled at the pair of blue eyes staring at her from behind the couch, but returned to her worried pose, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at the ceiling, wondering if being serious would give her an answer to her predicament.

Connor had kneeled down so that he was on eye level with her. His chin rested on his left arm as he traced his index finger gently across her hair, messing with her curls indifferently.

Sarah kept her eyes shut, feeling herself relax. She tensed, though, when she felt the ghost of a trace on her lower lip. She opened her eyes wide and grasped Connor’s sincerely concerned gaze over her as he withdrew his finger. She felt a pang on her heart when she noticed his eyes slightly begin to water. Was he crying for her? Was her situation that despicable? She felt guilty, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. He would only try and comfort her.

She imagined what must be on his head right now: exhaustion, concern… fear. It was now her time to comfort him.  But how?

“How are you feeling?” he asked, turning her chin gently to him so that he could kiss her.

She reveled into the kiss.

“I don’t know how I’m feeling,” she said, composed. She had to be honest with him.

He nodded to himself. “This is getting worse by the day.”

“I know.”

“I have to do something.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I will not rest until he is behind bars. I will find him,” The somber on his look scared her. This was only going to make things worse.

“I don’t want you to-”

“I will. There’s no way you can dissuade me, I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” the girl asked, finally propping herself on her elbows so that she was closer to him. “Just what are you planning on doing? Track him? Chase him?” she asked unbelievingly.

“If I have to.”

“Don’t.”

“Sarah…”

“Don’t. Come away with me.”

Connor looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“What?”

“Come with me. Away. Where he can’t find us.”

“Sarah-”

“I’m sure Will and Nat will be up for it. So will Ethan. So will April and Maggie. We were planning on a summer vacation to Maui, remember? Why not make it now?”

“But-”

“Come on! We need this. _I_ need this. Consider it a ‘spring break’”, she begged, getting on her knees on the couch.

Connor smiled, but sobered instantly. “You know what the police said. It will be more difficult to protect you outside of Chicago.”

Sarah shook her head. “So what does it matter what the police said? They won’t stop him. Both you and I know it. We’ll be safer far away. Please say yes. I can’t stay here right now.”

Connor looked at her deeply, his eyes unnerving, his brow set. He opened his mouth and closed it again, before finally speaking.

“We can’t.”

Sarah looked at him disbelievingly. “What do you mean we can’t? Of course we can, we have a week off if-”

“We can’t. _You_ can’t. If you leave Chicago, it will make it easier for him to target you.”

“That’s not true-”

“Yes, it _is_ true, Sarah!” he said, irritated and standing up, visibly upset. “It’s true, and you know it. I can’t take that risk. I can’t just nod and say you’re right and that everything will be okay if we left because it won’t. I can’t lie to you about that or any other thing. You’re safer here.”

“But I don’t want to be here!” Sarah replied in the same tone, rising up as well. “I don’t want to stay in the same place where a psychopath could kill me. I can’t. I need to leave.”

Connor shook his head and took her face gently in his hands. “If you leave, he will follow you. You said so yourself, baby, he won’t stop. He will follow you and hurt you. And if I’m not there-”

“Then come with me!” she cried out insistently, placing her own hands over his. “Come with me, and everything will be okay.”

“I can’t…”

“Why not?!” asked Sarah a tad louder, drawing the attention of some of the nurses and doctors passing by.

“Because I can’t protect you! Okay? I can’t be with you every second of the day, even though I’d love to!” he said, out of breath and with a raised voice, still holding on to her for life. “I couldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you. I love you, okay? Chicago P.D. gives me the security that you’ll be safe. They’ll watch your house, and you’ll be watched here by all of us at the hospital. If you leave, you won’t get that wherever you go. You’ll be unprotected, and I can’t allow that. I won’t allow it.”

Sarah retrieved her steps at his last statement.

“Allow,” she said flatly. “You won’t allow that I leave.”

Connor clenched his jaw, but didn’t backtrack from his words. He crossed his arms, and looked anywhere but at her, trying to find a sensible answer. Something that would convince her. But both knew well that battle was lost.

Sarah took a step forward, looking him dead in the eye. “I love you too, Connor Rhodes. But I’m leaving. I’m going away for a week whether you like it or not.”

Connor furrowed his brow, upset. Sarah could see the disappointment in his eyes. This was not the first time they had fought, but it was the first time it was over something important.

“If that’s your choice then there’s nothing else to talk about.”

Sarah remained silent, stung by his words and somewhat indifferent tone.

“Is there?” Connor pressed on.

Sarah looked up from the ground. “No, there is not.”

Connor pursed his lips furiously. “Fine,” he said in clenched teeth. “Make sure Will goes on your trip. He’ll keep an eye on you.”

Sarah looked at him, puzzled, and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.

“No, I won’t be going,” said Connor as if he had read her mind, a hand on the door handle.

Sarah closed her mouth shut, feeling anger claw at her skin and boil her blood. How could he be so indifferent now that the choice was made? Didn’t he just say he wanted to protect her? Now he wasn’t even considering coming with her. Why was he staying? It was all just too stupid.

Before she could stop and think, her following words, the result of furiousness and confusion, had caused Connor to look at her a mixture of hurt and disappointment that would haunt her until time’s end.

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t want you to. ”

As she heard the door slam shut, she couldn’t help the tears that, uninvited, escaped her eyes as she stared at the spot where he once had been.

* * *

 

**What did you guys think? :D**


	13. The Game Changer

The next morning came accompanied by the determination she had the day before. There she was, bags on the floor as she waited for her ride to the airport, her mind set and savoring the adventures to come.

She looked down at her phone one last time and confirmed her suspicions: Connor hadn’t called. He hadn’t messaged her, hadn’t paged her, not anything.

She felt sad. Hawaii was something they had all talked about for months to visit. The quarreling feeling that set in the bottom of her stomach urged her to stay. But she couldn’t. Everything was set already: the plane tickets, hotel reservations, activities, etc. Besides, she wasn’t going to do everything the man said she should. It just wasn’t in her. And she knew that with her friends she would be perfectly safe wherever she went.

But why couldn’t Connor get that? Why couldn’t he set his pride aside?

A honk drew her attention as a blue suburban pulled over. Ethan exited the driver’s seat and immediately reached for a hug.

“Morning! Are you ready?” He said, picking her bags with a smile.

“As I can be,” she sighed.

“Come on, cheer up!” he whined half-heartily. “It’s going to be a hell of a vacation.”

He put the bags on the trunk and slid the door open for Sarah.

“Heeey!” people greeted enthusiastically as they all talked over each other.

Maggie, Nat and the baby, Will and April all sat ready to get to the airport. Will sat shotgun, reading the sports section of the paper intensely. Maggie and April sat in the middle row, sharing all kinds of nuts and candy, and Nat sat on the back with Owen as she patted him on the back.

Sarah shook her head with a smile and climbed on, followed by Ethan on the driver’s seat, and they made their way.

“So, no word from Connor?” asked April after a while, turning around to her.

“Nope,” she said with a pop, and letting out a sigh. Her eyes got lost on the scenery across the window, and April and Nat exchanged worried glances.

“Look. Let this be a time for us to enjoy ourselves. Whatever is going on between you and him, I’m sure you can figure it out when we get back,” reassured Nat with a wink as she bounced Owen.

“She’s right,” said Maggie, overhearing them. “You out of all of us need to take a break from things. Let’s just relax and have some fun,” she said with a little dance, evoking laughs from everyone.

Sarah smiled to herself. Sure, Connor wasn’t there, but like Nat said: whatever their fight was about, it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed once she got back to Chicago. Still, she missed him. She yearned for him to be here with them. To be close to her.

“White, sandy beaches, here I come!” yelled April out of the window, interrupting her thoughts.

“Girl, you’re gonna leave me deaf!” complained Maggie as she massaged her ear as Nat and Sarah laughed.

* * *

 

“Okay: This. Is. Life.”

The girls were currently basking in the sun on the beach chairs as they enjoyed their cold drinks on their bikini-clad bodies. The sound and smell of the salty ocean soothed them and sang them to sleep, making the fight to stay awake due to the jet lag an arduous, yet enjoyable task. Sarah felt herself relax for once as she sunk her toes into the hot sand. She loved it here. She loved how the scalding sun kissed her skin and how relaxed she felt.

“You bet it is,” said April said back to her as she gazed through her sunglasses at the view in front of her.

“I seriously have no idea how they still have that much energy,” said Nat, shaking her head, as she looked at Will and Ethan having a one-on-one round of volleyball. They were suddenly joined by two other shirtless men and they formed teams.

The girls couldn’t help but be transfixed by their athletic figures.

“Okay, I give Mr. Blue Shorts on the left an 8.5.” April said pensively.

Sarah scoffed a laugh. “What is this, high school? Are we seriously rating people?”

“You can deny it aaall you want… but that man is a definite 8.5,” said April looking over her glasses at said person.

Sarah shook her head. A peaceful silence set in as they kept staring at the game that displayed in front of them.

“9.5.”

“Maggie!” laughed Sarah, surprised.

“What? It’s true!” she said with a laugh, avoiding Nat’s bashing.

“Nuh- uh. The one with the sunglasses. _That_ is a solid 9.5. Better yet, a 10,” argued April.

“Really? I’d give him a 7.”

“Oh come on, Nat. You know that’s no 7.”

“What can I say? I only see one 10 on that game,” she said with a shy smile, referring to Will.

April rolled her eyes and moaned as Maggie and Sarah laughed heartily. Sarah’s attention suddenly went to a shadow behind a palm tree, but when she turned to it, the shadow was gone. She took off her sunglasses and blinked twice. She then rolled her eyes at her paranoia. She had probably just imagined it.

“-not how that game works! You’re supposed to be objective about it!”

Sarah smiled as Nat brushed April off. Before April could continue with her rant, Nat’s phone went off. She perked up when she looked down at the screen.

“It’s Connor,” she said to Sarah. The girl swallowed hard and felt a set of butterflies on her stomach as the other woman answered. It was logical that he had called Nat as she had left her own phone at the hotel room. She let out a sigh, ready to hear his voice, but especially his apology. She yearned for them to be okay again. And who knew? Maybe there was still time for him to come to Maui a couple of days.

“Hello? Hey… Yeah everything’s fine… She’s right here, do you want me to-… Oh… I mean, I’m not sure if I-…”

Sarah’s expression dropped as Natalie began to get slightly anxious.

“Yeah, I guess I have time to talk… ” said Nat, as she looked at Sarah for reassurance.

Sarah felt her heart sink as she sat unmoving on her chair. Connor didn’t want to talk to her. He wanted to talk to Natalie. Knowing that was hard for her to digest. She knew that Connor was upset, but he had never been one to hold on to a grudge. Guess there’s a first time for everything.

Nat cleared her throat and signaled at the phone with her head, as if asking if it was okay if she talked to him. Sarah sighed, but nodded in defeat.

“Okay, give me a second,” Nat said to the phone as she got up and walked away in a hurry.

Sarah crossed her arms over herself. Was this a bad sign? Had she messed up that bad?

“Hey,” said Will’s voice above her. Sarah looked up at him as he dried sweat and water off his hair and face. “Where did Nat go?”

“She’s talking to Connor,” Sarah said simply, yet cursed mentally at the sound of her own stiff voice.

Will furrowed his brow. “Everything okay?” he asked, sitting down next to her and accepting a cold beer from Maggie.

“I wouldn’t know. He wouldn’t talk to me.”

Will nodded. “Well, if a sweaty man’s advice is worth something, I’d say-”

“I know… I should be more-”

“He’s an ass,” Will cut her off.

“Wait. What?”

“He’s an ass,” he said, taking a chug of his beer. “What he should be doing is face his mistakes instead of using someone else to help him get out of things.”

Sarah kept silent, deep in thought.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Will added, “Connor’s a good guy and all, but he’s messing up badly with this one.”

“What makes you say that?”

Will darted his gaze away towards the ocean, avoiding her. He felt like he had said too much.

“Come on Will, tell me,” Sarah insisted. She leaned on the armrest as she searched to decipher his frown to no avail.

He sighed, finally conceding. “No man in his right senses should let the girl he loves leave like that. Least of all ask someone else to take care of her for him.”

He didn’t look at her as he kept drinking. Sarah felt as if his words had slapped her and she looked down in anger. But he was right. Will was nothing but right. How could Connor do this to her? He had let his pride get the best of him, and she didn’t know how to deal with that.

April looked at Will in disapproval. She knew very well how these things could get to her best friend. “Come on, Sarah. Let’s get back to the hotel. We need girl time,” she said, taking a long look at Will, who made an apologetic grimace.

Sarah sighed and swallowed back tears. She didn’t know what she was feeling. It was stupid to cry over something that was not that big of a deal, but with Connor, everything felt important. Everything he felt, he did, said and thought was important to her, and with good reason. She loved him. She couldn’t bear to let that go. Let him go. No matter how angry she was at him.

She got up and dusted sand off her black bikini, then wrapped a towel around herself and set off, followed by both April and Maggie.

“Don’t take mind of what he said, Sarah. I’m sure Connor had his reasons to talk to Nat.”

Sarah whirled around. “He had his reasons? Like what? Do tell me, April, because all I can think about is that he chose his pride over me.”

“But-”

“Excuse me!”

The three turned to look at the voice and almost dropped their jaws. They were now standing face to face to a sweat-drenched Mr. Blue Shorts.

“Excuse me. Um… hi,” he said looking directly at Sarah. She quickly took notice of his thick Australian accent. His hair was blonde, matching his shade of a beard, and his eyes were bright like the ocean. Then there was his body. He had muscular arms and a marked abdomen that he bore effortlessly. He looked like a movie actor.

Sarah blinked hard and blushed for taking that into account.

“Hi.”

“Hey, um, so I met your friend Will and he said you girls came here with him. I was wondering…” he shook his head. “I mean- I’m Kyle,” he blurted.

Sarah looked down at his extended hand and shook it gently, a slight frown on her face. She quickly exchanged looks with April, who stared at the man as if a fallen shooting star was now in front of her.

“I’m Sarah. This are April and Maggie.”

April quickly darted out her hand for him to take, which he shook warmly.

“Lovely to meet you girls. I was just wondering if… you were free this afternoon.”

“Free?” Sarah blinked. “For what?”

“To hang out. My friend over there,” he said signaling to the guy with the sunglasses, “is having a party tonight. I was just wondering if you’d be interesting on going.”

Sarah shook her head. “I’m sorry, we-”

“We’re going!”

Sarah looked at April with wide eyes. She chastised her with a look that April quickly ignored.

“Oh! Great! The party won’t be far from here. It’s a casual thing, so you don’t have to worry about fancy clothes. I’ll come get you. What room are you staying at?”

Before April could open her mouth again, Maggie got ahead of her. “Don’t you worry, we’ll come to you. Where will the party be?”

“Oh, at that building over there,” he said pointing to a white tower. “Twelfth floor, nine o’clock. I’ll see you there, then,” he finally said, looking straight at Sarah. The latter turned away slightly. She didn’t want to come off as rude, but she also didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

“Can’t wait!” April said to his back as he got back to his friends.

Once the man was gone, both Maggie and Sarah cleared their throats at April.

“I thought this night was about relaxing? Girl time?” Sarah quoted her accusingly.

“But… How can you say no to _that_!” she said.

“ _That_ , April, is a man we know nothing about,” said Maggie with her arms crossed.

“Exactly! We can get to know him at the party. Come on, we can see whales and go snorkeling tomorrow, but please, let’s go to this thing! Don’t let me go alone” she pleaded. “You said this vacation was about having fun. Well, let’s have some fun!” she said with puppy eyes.

Sarah rolled her own and sighed. Maggie was right. For all they knew they could be talking to a sugar daddy or something of the sort. But then again, April was right. The man seemed like a nice person, and this vacation was in fact about having fun. What could possibly go wrong?

“I’ll think about it,” she said, much to Maggie’s surprise.

April’s eyes widened as she jumped at Sarah and hugged her tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I haven’t said yes yet!”

April kissed her cheek. “But you will!” she sang as she set her way back to the hotel, Sarah and Maggie following suit.

* * *

 

The hotel was not far from the beach. Thanks to a friend of Ethan’s, they had managed to stay at a very elegant place. They booked three suites: one for Ethan and Will across the hallway, another for Nat, Owen and Maggie and the last for April and Sarah, which was next to the other girls’ room.

Once they got to the main entrance, Sarah stopped walking as she took a glance of a very cheerful Natalie on the phone, resting an arm on the grand staircase’s rail as she overflowed with enthusiastic mannerisms. Sarah felt both April and Maggie tense at the sight. Nat was laughing and apparently having a great conversation with whomever she was talking to.

“-kay. Don’t worry. Thanks for confiding in me. And don’t worry, I won’t say a thing, bye!”

She hung up with a smile that instantly dropped once she saw the three girls in front of her.

“Who was that?” asked Sarah nonchalantly.

“Hmm?”

“Was that Connor?” she asked with feigned confidence, her insides filling with dread at the thought of him not speaking to her.

“Oh! No, no. He hung up a long time ago. Just my mother-in-law. She wanted to change some drapes in the house, nothing important,” she brushed off.  “Let’s head back our suites,” she said quickly, avoiding eye contact.

Sarah and April exchanged looks.

“What the hell was that about?” Sarah mouthed to her best friend as they tagged behind the other two. “Her mother-in-law? Seriously?”

April shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, confused.

Sarah didn’t know what was going on, but she was determined to figure it out. She took hold of April’s arm once they reached the elevator doors that were now opening.

“Aren’t you coming?” asked Maggie as she followed Nat inside the metallic box.

“Need to go to the bathroom,” Sarah said dryly as she yanked April’s arm a little too hard when she looked about to say something.

Maggie nodded. When the elevator doors shut close, April withdrew her arm.

“What’s with you?” she complained, rubbing her arm.

“Nat was not talking to her mother-in-law. No way. Laughing about drapes? Come on…”

“Then what? Do you think she was still talking to Connor?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“But that doesn’t make sense! For one they must’ve been talking for more than half an hour and two, why would she be laughing at anything he’d say? I thought Connor was upset?”

“So did I.”

April pursed her lips. “This is…”

“Weird?”

“Very weird. But let’s not give it much thought until we’re sure it was him she was talking to.”

“And how will we be sure?” asked Sarah.

“Leave that to me. I can get anything out of Nat. We just need a plan to distract Maggie so I can get her alone.”

Sarah nodded with a sighed. “Thanks, April.”

“Hey, don’t mention it,” she replied with a wink.

“Just don’t be too obvious.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said calmly. She then proceeded to whack Sarah on the stomach a tad too forcefully.

“Oww!!! What the hell was that for?!” she asked, doubling over with a hand over her stomach.

“Almost ripping my arm earlier,” she said with a sweet, innocent smile as Sarah almost rolled over on the main entrance’s floor and kept from flipping her off as she ascended the stairs.

* * *

 

April set her plan in motion when they reached the suites. It was Sarah’s job to drag Maggie away and distract her with some excuse so that April could get Nat alone, which was working out not so great.

“I told you a thousand times not to leave your phone behind, or else you’d lose it! You always lose your phone Sarah,” Maggie scolded as if she were speaking to a child.

“Well I’m sorry I lost it, but talking about it won’t help me find it!” she said feigning exasperation. Truth was she had hid her phone inside one of the bathroom drawers, a place she knew Maggie would look last, so that she could be entertained a long time.

“Ok, let’s split. You search this room and I’ll search Nat and mine’s.”

Sarah felt her stomach drop. “No!!!” she yelled a tad too loud.

Maggie turned, shocked at her outburst. “Why not?”

“I mean… I’d never leave my phone there. I don’t remember even going into that room. It must be around here somewhere.”

“You followed Nat for some sunscreen, remember? Honestly, Sarah, where is your head today? Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned.

“Everything’s fine, Maggie,” she let out, stressed. “I just need to find my phone.”

“Then let’s search the other room as well.”

There was no point talking her out of it any further, because she was already knocking on the shared door. There was no answer though, so Maggie knocked more forcibly.

Still no answer.

Maggie opened the door with a furrowed brow as she was followed by Sarah. The latter frowned when she saw Nat and April close to each other as if sharing some sort of secret. Jumping apart, each pretended to attend something on the room without making eye contact.

“Everything okay in here?” asked Maggie, confused.

Nat looked up from the still sleeping Owen and shrugged her shoulders. “Everything’s fine.”

“Yup,” said April pursing her lips. “Everything’s great. Eeeverything’s dandy,” she said with a nonchalant expression.

“Dandy, huh?” deadpanned Maggie. Sarah almost slapped her own forehead, and Nat looked like she wanted to throw something at April. She never used that word. Ever. What on earth was going on?

“Well, I guess April and I could keep looking for my phone on the other room,” hinted Sarah, eyes wide and with a head motion towards the said place.

“Oh! Um… I don’t mind looking for it here. Besides, I promised I’d help Nat with something,” April dragged nervously.

Sarah looked at her like she had grown two heads. _What about their plan?_

“Something?” asked Maggie with the same quizzical expression as before.

“Yeah, you know… the thing,” April dragged, looking at Nat for help.

“Yeah! Yeah, the thing! The thing that is… helping me… run Owen a bath! He moves so much now, I need help holding him while I wash him properly.”

Sarah searched April’s face for some kind of hint or something that could give away what was going on, but the other woman only evaded her eyes. It was clear that Nat had said something to her. Something that she didn’t want Sarah to know.

“Fine,” said Sarah with spite. “I’ll keep looking on my room. After that I guess I’ll go and get a massage,” she said in hopes to get April’s attention. She knew April would beg her not to so that they could go to the party later.

“That’s great! Yes, that sounds like a very good idea!” said April much to Sarah’s surprise, nodding eagerly. “Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll catch up with you in a while?”

Sarah frowned at her unbelievingly. Why was she acting weird? Was she hiding things from her too? Whatever it was, it was starting to get to her nerves.

“Okay then… I guess I’ll go keep looking. To the other room,” she signaled.

“You do that,” April nodded.

“And then I’ll just go down to the lobby…”

“Sounds excellent.”

Sarah furrowed her brow before she exited the room, confused. There was definitely something going on. Nothing seemed to add up. April was hiding something from her. But what? She hadn’t pegged April to be someone to do that. They were supposed to be best friends. Was Maggie part of their secrecy too?

The idea of feeling left out panged at her heart. She felt stupid and dramatic, but she couldn’t help the flashbacks of high school that came to her head. Back to when people kept her out of things and pushed her away. When they whispered behind her like she weren’t there and made fun behind her back.

This was different, though. She wasn’t in high school anymore (thank God) and she wasn’t that same quiet, shy girl with dorky glasses and awkward stances anymore. She had grown up. She was braver, tougher. More confident.

She ‘found’ her phone and left the suite in a trance, Maggie’s scolding of how unorganized she was ignored. She was so wrapped up in her own head that she didn’t see Ethan coming her way. The collision was not hard, but it almost knocked her out of balance.

“Careful!” Ethan said, grabbing her by the arm.

“I’m…”

Silence. Her thoughts were so loud she didn’t realize she hadn’t completed her sentence.

“Sarah? Everything okay? You seem… distracted.”

She didn’t reply.

“Why are you here alone? Connor made us promise to not let you wander off on your own.”

The comment brought her back to earth, as it had ticked her off to no end. She clenched her jaw to keep herself from cursing out loud. This wasn’t Ethan’s fault, but she felt like ripping his head off at that moment. The last thing she wanted to hear was anything about Connor. She blamed him, and she felt furious about it. She was furious at him and at herself for feeling that way. Ethan seemed to notice the change on her facial expressions and backtracked a few steps.

“Sarah?”

She sighed in depth. “I’m going to go to the massage room. I don’t want anyone to follow me,” she said with extreme calm. “I don’t want to hear anything about anyone. I need time for myself. I want to be alone.”

“But-”

“Ethan, stop! I won’t be completely alone, I’ll be with a masseuse! I bet she’ll play a good babysitter if that’s your concern,” she said, rolling her eyes and setting foot to depart.

“What’s this about?” asked Ethan, holding her arm to keep her from leaving.

Sarah fought to retrieve it, but Ethan held his place. Sarah felt her eyes begin to water, and Ethan sighed and bowed down to hug her. Sarah didn’t realize she was crying until she sniffed hard. She was stressed and angry and… mainly acting like a child, which was what she was most ashamed of. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Ethan spoke.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Sarah shook her head no as she let go of him.

“You’re not alone, Sarah. You know you can tell me stuff, right? I’ll be there for you,” he said, singing to Friend’s theme song.

She laughed and wiped the tears away. “I know, Ethan. You’re a good friend. I just really think I need to be alone for a second. I’m being a spoiled brat to everyone.”

Ethan chuckled. “Well, I don’t know if spoiled brat is the right term, but…”

Sarah scoffed and swatted him on the arm.

“I’m just kidding,” he laughed. “And you’re right. We have no business telling you what to do. Just… be careful and try not to wander off too far?”

“Fine,” Sarah sighed in defeat and gave him a brief smile.

“I’ll see you later then,” he said at last before leaving her in the hallway.

Sarah shook her head and made her way to the stairs, only to collide with someone else again.

“Son of a-” She stopped herself as she took notice of who was in front of her.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve looked where I was going.”

“Kyle. Hey, no. It’s okay, I was distracted.”

The man smiled.

“Where were you heading off to?”

“Well, I was planning on getting a massage.”

He chuckled. “What a coincidence! I was just planning on getting one too.”

Sarah didn’t buy that, and she looked at him disbelievingly.

“Really?” she deadpanned.

Kyle smiled, and scratched the back of his neck. “Not really. I was hoping to catch a football game on TV. It’s just… being in your company seemed like a better idea.”

Sarah blushed, but shook her head. “Listen, Kyle, I’m not-”

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Sarah turned to look at April, who was practically running at her.

“I need you to come with me,” she breathed. “Hey,” she said quickly to Kyle like if he was a normal human being before turning her head back to Sarah. This seemed to confuse her.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s great, I just need you to come with me,” she insisted, taking her arm.

“April, stop,” she said, releasing herself from her grip. Kyle seemed to notice the situation become tense.

“I think I should go. Nice running into you Sarah.”

“You too.”

Once he left, Sarah looked at April in disbelief.

“What is it with you?”

“Come on, I have to show you something.”

“What did you find out from Nat?” Sarah replied instead.

“Nat?” she asked confused. “Oh, that! Pshhh,” she brushed off with a wave of her hand. “Nothing! She was really talking to her mother-in-law. They get along really well, did you know that?”

Sarah shook her head.

“What?” asked April as her ecstatic features decreased.

“What aren’t you telling me, April? I can read you like a book, I know when you’re lying.”

“Me?!” she asked in a high-pitched voice. “Lying! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard on this trip. Come on, walk with me to the high terrace,” she said, holding her arm.

“Enough, April,” she said. “Why are you doing this? And what on earth is on the high terrace?”

April’s expression changed to a more serious one. “Just… trust me, okay? I promise you’ll understand everything in the end. But right now, we have to hurry,” she insisted.

“What do you mean in the end?” she asked as April dragged her up the stairs.

“Just trust me!”

Sarah rolled her eyes and pursed her lips as she let herself be dragged by the other girl. Once they reached the last steps, April kneeled down to tighten a sandal strap.

“What now?” asked Sarah, looking down at her.

“You go ahead, I’ll be right behind.”

“What are you…”

She stopped talking, her mind clicking. It was then and there that she understood what was going on. The call… the lying… the confusing her… the insisting that she went to the terrace… Did it all have to do with…?

She widened her eyes at April who simply winked at her with a soft smile. Sarah pushed the door open to the terrace to be met with a breath-taking, blinding, orange and pink sunset. She raised a hand to shield her eyes and captured through her peripheral vision a figure that moved:

 

Connor Rhodes.

 

Dressed in a tuxedo. Standing behind a nicely set, elegant dinner table, fixed with two chairs and a bouquet of flowers at the center. Joined by a man playing a violin.

He stood there with a look she couldn’t read easily. He looked happy and ashamed. Apologetic perhaps. Excited? His arms rested behind his back as he awaited her to come closer to him.

But Sarah didn’t move. She was alone with him, at last, but she didn’t make a single move. Connor didn’t speak either, his brow furrowing slightly.

“So what? You come here after our fight and do this? A nice dinner and flowers?” she asked softly, yet upset.

Connor didn’t speak. He moved from behind the table and stood in front of it, his face expressions calm and collected.

“You think this is the way of fixing things? Of making amends?” she asked with her arms crossed. “That after every fight we have a nice dinner is going to make everything better?”

She felt her breath get caught in her throat as he moved slowly towards her, a soft smile on his face. He looked so handsome, but she wasn’t going to acknowledge that in front of him. Not now. She began to feel nervous, and her mouth began to run on its own.

“Well, it’s not. That doesn’t change anything. I’m still mad at you. Mad at your pride. How could you just let me leave like that? All you had to do was come with me. Why wouldn’t you come with-”

Connor stood in front of her, unraveling his arms and holding her by the waist. Sarah pushed back, but Connor didn’t let her. He swept in and kissed her hard. Sarah felt her heart drop and found herself kissing him back with force. It was a fight for dominance, an expression of love and a shared apology. She felt tears welling up in her eyes form penned frustration now released.

She took a breath once they drew apart, their foreheads joined together. He traced his thumb across her lower lip, pulling down on it slightly. She didn’t dare look at his eyes, because she knew she would lose her resolve then and there. His hand on her chin made her look up though, and she found herself lost in a deep sea of blue.

“Sarah Reese. You are the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me,” he said firmly. “You are the light of my life and the source of my happiness, and I love you” he said, clearing his throat. Sarah stopped resisting and listened intently to what he had to say.

“I’m not perfect. I’m far from perfect. I’m the most imperfect man you will ever know, because I mess up. I push the things and people I love away when I’m scared. I tend to be selfish, and self-absorbed. I tend to be stubborn, and because of that I made a mistake. You were right, I should have never let you go. I should have listened. I should have trusted you, and for that I’m very sorry,” he paused. “I truly hope you can forgive me. I’m just a dumb man who is in love, and who doesn’t think straight when he’s around you. Because you make me a better man. You make me love more, and be more. You make me have a good heart. You are the most beautiful creature that I have ever seen, and I knew from day one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you,” he breathed.

Sarah felt her eyes widened at the last sentence. Her heart began to beat fast and she drew a hand to her mouth when she saw him get down on one knee, holding her other hand.

“When you left to get here I knew I never wanted to be apart from you. I knew I wanted to be your companion, your confident, your best friend and your lover forever. I knew I wouldn’t let myself live my life without you. So that’s why I’m here. To make a promise. To promise to always be yours and to go wherever life will take me, but with you. Always with you.”

This wasn’t happening. Not to her. Things like these happened to people in movies. She couldn’t believe what was going on. Was this real life? Her mind seemed to be spinning away into blankness.

“So,” Connor said, retrieving a small, black box from his back pocket. He then looked up with tears in his eyes and a smile that could bright the whole world. “Sarah Jane Reese,”

Sarah felt a sob escape her. This _was_ happening. He opened the little black box that revealed a diamond ring.

“Will you marry me?”

Sarah looked down at him, her mind frozen. She couldn’t think clearly. She couldn’t speak. But this time it wasn’t because of fear. I was because of shock, and love and…

“Yes,” she nodded confidently as tears of happiness escaped her. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Connor’s smile managed to widen as he placed the ring on her finger before getting up and sweeping her off her feet. Sarah laughed as he spun her around briefly before kissing her again. _Finally_ , Sarah thought. She didn’t know how badly she wanted to be Mrs. Connor Rhodes until now. Their kiss was interrupted, by ecstatic cheers and clapping. Sarah turned around, arms still wrapped around him and saw her friends with huge smiles on their faces who have come out from the door she had entered. They had known all along. Sarah shook her head as each came closer to congratulate them.

“I’m so sorry,” laughed Nat, wrapping her arms around Sarah. “I’m sorry for acting so weird! He made me promise not to tell you anything!”

“Don’t even worry about it,” laughed Sarah returning the hug.

One by one they came and offered their congratulations and best wishes. April took her time, apologizing for confusing her and for making her feel left out. But that didn’t matter anymore. She was engaged. Sarah was engaged.

“Well, I think it would be best if we left these guys alone,” said Will with a smile and taking Nat’s hand. Connor nodded back at him and they all left, leaving Sarah and Connor alone with the stars as they slowly filled the sky with glistening and clapping.

Sarah looked down from the starry night at her future husband as he held her close.

“Are you happy?” he whispered in her ear. He kissed her neck as they swayed slowly to the sound of the violin. He ran a hand through her hair softly and Sarah hummed in agreement.

“I’m complete,” she said as she let herself enjoy the best night of her night. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? All she knew was that from now on, together they could conquer anything.

They could conquer the world.

* * *

**Let me know what you think!**


	14. The Complications

**Hey guys! I wanted to try out a one-scene chapter. Let me know what you think! Thanks a lot for the reviews, I read each and every one! They make my day!!! :D**

* * *

To be woken by bright sunlight, the smell of coffee, a delicious breakfast and kisses from her fiancé would have been the optimal way to end Sarah Reese’s vacation.

That, though, was not nearly the case.

Maui had been struck by the promise of a shortly upcoming storm, they daylight hiding scared behind thick, blackish clouds. The warm air had turned cold, and so had everyone’s aspirations of a perfect last day of their vacation week.

“Well, that’s what we get for finally planning activities,” Will deadpanned as he waited for Connor and Ethan to book flights to get them all out of there as soon as possible.

They were all in the lobby, suitcases in hand. The idea of staying one more week to outwait the storm seemed preposterous. There were patients that needed attention and that were counting on them. Not to mention the hospital staff.

“Come on, Will, don’t be such a pessimist,” Natalie retorted with a sigh, bouncing Owen with her right arm and hip.

“Here,” said Will as thunder rumbled, holding out his hands towards the baby. “Come here little guy, everything’s okay. Daddy’s got you.”

Sarah turned around nonchalantly at the sound of the pronoun and made eye contact with Nat. The latter gave away a genuine small smile. Sarah nodded and smiled back. It seemed that Will was making his way deeper into Nat and Owen’s life, and Sarah couldn’t be happier about it.

“All right,” Connor said, taking Sarah’s side. “We have two options: there are six seats available on the morning flight and there are other two on the flight that leaves this afternoon.”

“There’s seven of us, right? Does that mean that one will have to fly alone?” asked April, concerned.

“I don’t mind. I’ll do it if no one-” Ethan began, only to be cut off by Sarah.

“Absolutely not. There’s no way one of us is traveling alone. Five can take this first flight and two can take the second.”

Connor nodded. “She’s right. It’s possible that the afternoon flight either gets cancelled or that if it does take flight there might be serious turbulence. Nevertheless, it’s the only option we have. I say that both Ethan and I take the second flight.”

Sarah’s head turned to him like whiplash. “What?!”

Everyone immediately started arguing about the risks and why wouldn’t it be best for them to stay a couple of days more.

“Listen!” Connor yelled, bringing everyone to a stop. He then turned to Will. “Look man, you have a baby you have to take care of. It wouldn’t be fair to-”

“It wouldn’t be fair to you too either,” Nat replied, worried and selflessly. “I don’t want Will to go, but I don’t want you two to risk your lives. I say we stay here a couple of more days.”

“Nat, we can’t. We’ve already exceeded our stay here,” said Ethan. He was right. They were supposed to leave the day after Connor’s arrival, but they had managed to stay three more days.

“I’m sure Goodwin will understand,” April began.

“Goodwin, yes. But the board? It’s not Goodwin’s fault we’re caught in the middle of a storm. She’s going to get a lot of backlash if we’re not there by tonight. We should have checked the weather sooner,” Ethan replied.

Sarah sighed. Again, he was right. They were in a pretty difficult situation, but there was no other way around it.

“Are you sure?” Sarah asked Connor. The calmness of her voice, almost a dead tone, impressed everyone, even her fiancé. She had to be calm about this, otherwise they would only go back to arguing.

“I’m sure,” Connor nodded. Sarah then turned to Ethan who nodded as well.

“Well then. Let’s get our stuff and get going.”

“But-”

“There’s no other way, Maggie, and you know it. We have to get going. But before that, I’d like a few minutes with my fiancé if you don’t mind.”

Everyone agreed silently as they began to pull away from where the two stood with their things. Maggie hugged both Connor and Ethan before announcing she was calling a cab, but that at the look of things, it would be fairly probable that it would take a while to get one. Ethan, on the other hand, hurried away to settle their flight tickets.

“Fiancé, huh?” Connor asked once Maggie was gone, obliging Sarah to look at him as he snaked his arms around her waist. “I like how that sounds,” he grinned.

“Promise me you’ll make it back okay,” she demanded with a set jaw, worried. She knew what Connor was doing. Trying to distract her.

Connor’s smile dropped gradually. “Baby, I-”

“Promise me.”

Connor sighed and took her face in his hands and looked directly at her. He frowned at how scared she looked, and how she had managed to hide that in front of everyone else. “I promise I will do my best to get back to you. Everything will be fine,” he reassured before kissing her softly on the lips and then her forehead.

Sarah felt as she was being gently pulled into an embrace. She hid her face on his chest as Connor held her close, resting his chin above her head, his fingers lightly tracing her hair.

“I need you to be brave okay?” he said, looking back at her again, closely. “Be brave for me. Until I get back.”

Sarah nodded, unshed tears clouding her vision.

Connor chuckled lightly to ease the tension between them. “Relax, sweetheart. I’ll be back before you know it,” he said with a kiss. Sarah managed to nod and swallow back tears.

“Okay,” she said, more to herself than to him.

“Now, get going,” he whispered one last time before she let go of her. Sarah sighed deeply and sniffed hard. She was not going to cry. She had to keep her promise to him.

“Okay,” she sighed before she turned around to get her bags. Her mind started to betray her resolve: What if something happened? What if they didn’t make it?

_“…rah Reese. Front desk call for Sarah Reese.”_

Sarah turned around to source of the faraway, monotone voice. She noticed a receptionist with a phone in her hand, looking through the crowd to spot a reaction from anyone who might answer to that name. Connor and Sarah’s eyes met, confused, as they both made their way to the receptionist.

“Sarah Reese?” the woman asked once they got to the desk.

“Yes.”

“You have a call from Chicago P.D.”

Sarah instantly tensed. A call from the police was never a good sign. Especially regarding the predicament she was in. She took the phone quickly as Connor waited impatiently for answers.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” came out a raspy, familiar voice. “It’s Lindsay.”

“What’s going on?”  

Connor observed the drastic change on Sarah’s face the longer she kept the phone to her ear.

“What is it?” Connor asked alarmed.

But Sarah couldn’t speak. Her mind was faraway now, deep in thought. There was no sound. No specific images to register. Just… blank.

“Sarah, what happened?” Connor asked again.

“Is everything okay, sir?” asked the receptionist noticing his distress, but he didn’t even look back at her.

“Sarah,” Connor took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. “What happened?” he repeated more clearly.

“I…”

“Babe?”

Sarah shook her head before saying goodbye to Lindsay and hanging up. She then turned to Connor, concerned. “There was a capture of Joey just now from one of the back cameras in my apartment building. He was already gone before the police got there. There’s no track of him.”

Connor clenched his jaw as he fought the anger inside him, mumbling about how unbelievable it was that he had managed to escape again.

“Erin recommends I move out. Stay with someone close meanwhile they search the apartment, but someone that he wouldn’t associate with me. It’s also important that I move to a protected area.”

Connor nodded with gritted teeth. Sarah knew he had it up to here with Joey… and so did she. Forgotten stress began to crawl up her body, and she felt unable to shake it off. She was back in reality now, and in a few hours, away from paradise and from the man she loved.  

“Erin says he might have planted something in the building. She’ll let me know what it was, if they ever found anything.”

“To whom will you go when you get to Chicago?” Connor asked seriously.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. The acquaintances I have are no more than that, and the only friends I have were just recently standing here,” Sarah said, looking at the floor. “And I won’t risk their lives for me.” Sarah warned as Connor pondered their options.

“I know, baby,” Connor sighed. “I wouldn’t ask that of you.” He also knew she couldn’t ask her to stay with him. It would be the first place for Joey to look.

Connor pursed his lips as he adamantly pulled out a card from his wallet. Sarah took it, confused. Her eyes shot wide when she saw the name on the paper.

“But…Are you sure?”

“Completely,” he said after a while. He was sure this would work. It had to. “I’m sure he’ll never get to find you there. The address is on the back,” he signaled to the paper. Sarah turned it around and nodded.

“It’s not far from the hospital,” Sarah realized.

“No, it’s not.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. So many questions fabricated in her brain, but it would be very out of place to ask them now. Connor’s past was still an enigma for her to work out, but she was not going to push things now.

She looked back to Connor again. His hands were on his pockets, his face slightly tense. Sarah knew this was no easy decision for him, but before she could speak, he got ahead of her.

“I think it might be best if you took off the ring,” he said sadly. “If he ever saw it, things could get dangerous.”

Sarah looked at him, crushed. The sadness on his face brought her blood to a boil. She shook her head no and quickly dug out a small chain from under her shirt.

“He can threaten us all he wants, and he can try and break us apart. But he won’t succeed,” he said, tucking the ring inside the chain and hiding it under her shirt. “I’m your fiancé, whether he fucking likes it or not. I won’t let him take that away,” she said, serious.

Connor smiled at the use of the expletive, but didn’t comment on it. He still looked down, which prompted Sarah to speak again.

“Remember what I told you the day after you asked me to marry you?” asked Sarah looking up at him, bringing him close.

Connor smiled briefly as the scene played over in his memory:

_Sarah tensed slightly when she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist carefully, yet relaxed when she felt a kiss on the side of her neck._

_“What are you doing up here so early?” Connor whispered as he kissed her neck again. They were on the high terrace, looking down at how the sun rays caressed the sand, taking in the salty smell of the ocean water, with the wind hitting their faces just right. Their inability to sleep had brought them together again this early._

_“Couldn’t sleep,” she said distractedly as she felt kissed near her collarbone. “Thinking,” she muttered as she placed her hands atop of his arms._

_Connor hummed understandingly and rested his chin on her shoulder lightly. The sunrise unraveled in front of them magically, and they stayed quiet enjoying each other’s presence and witnessing the miracle in front of them._

_“I’m glad I get to do this with you,” said Sarah after a while._

_“What, baby?” he asked, playing with a strand of her hair._

_She stared a few seconds at her ring, her thumb fiddling with it casually._

_“Life.”_

_Connor stopped what he was doing and tightened his grip on her. He buried his face on the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her shampoo._

_“I love you,” he whispered._

_Sarah smiled and turned her head so she could kiss him, the tips of her fingers merely grazing the back of his head. She breathed into the kiss as Connor deepened it._

_“I love you too,” she whispered back once they broke the kiss._

_They reassumed their position, the sunlight hitting their faces with warmth._

_Sarah shook her head and smiled._

_“We’re getting married.”_

_Connor’s grin broadened as he nodded. “We’re getting married.”_

_“There’s a lot to be done… and we don’t even have a date yet,” Sarah thought out loud._

_Connor broke his embrace to turn her around and hold her waist._

_“Well, it would be best if we got married after you graduate. That way you wouldn’t be my resident anymore. You’ll be a very official and very ‘marry-able’ Doctor Reese.”_

_“’Marry-able’, huh?” she laughed and kissed his bottom lip quickly._

_“I was thinking July could be an option.”_

_Sarah smiled.  I’d like that,” she said calmly._

_“It could be on a weekend, so that everyone can come.”_

_“How about the 22 nd?”_

_Connor smiled lopsidedly. “Why the 22 nd exactly?”_

_“Because it’s a week after my mom’s birth…day…” she trailed off at the mention of her mother, her eyes wide as she reached a realization. Neither of them had considered that part yet: Family. And more specifically, parents._

_Both kept quiet, waiting for the other to speak. But neither did._

_“Look-”_

_“Connor, it’s okay if-”_

_“No, please listen,” he said, taking her hands. “I know you don’t know my family. Ad I’ve yet to know yours. It’s just… with mine… it’s difficult. I’ve been away from so long, and…” When no other words came out, Sarah broke in._

_“Baby, you don’t have to explain anything to me right now. I know you have issues you have to resolve with your family, and I know things have been difficult for you. Just know that I’ll go at any pace you want me to… but also that I’d really love to know your family before the wedding. I’d really do.”_

_Connor ran a hand through his black hair, puffing out air. “It’s not that I don’t want you to meet them,” he said, turning to look back at her. “It’s just…” the words were carried away with the wind again. Sarah nodded, understanding how difficult this must be for him. She knew seeing his family would perhaps bring back memories he had been escaping for so long. She held him tight, burying her head under his chin in a comfortable, safe place._

_“I don’t want to push you, okay? But I really think it’s best that I meet them before the wedding. It would save us a lot of trouble.”_

_Connor didn’t answer, but nodded once, easing up Sarah’s worries._

_“I need time.”_

_“I know. Take all the time you need, Connor.”_

_Connor kissed the top of her head fondly._

_“Come on. Let’s go wake up the others.”_

 

Connor nodded as the flashback ended. “I remember.”

Sarah nodded. “Nothing has changed on that matter. I will respect everything you consider to be private. Are you absolutely sure?” she said, raising the paper in her hand.

Connor sighed, but nodded. “I’m sure, baby. It’s the only way I’d feel comfortable leaving you. Besides, she can be quite the character. I think you’ll like her,” he winked.

Sarah smiled nervously. It was as if destiny had rushed them, and there were no excuses to avoid it now.

“Don’t worry,” Connor reassured. “I’m sure you’ll get along,” he said for her sake. He didn’t actually know how things would work out, but knowing her fiancé, he was sure things couldn’t go far from good.

The sight of Will running up at them startled them from their intimate moment.

“Sarah, the flight leaves in an hour. We have to get to the airport now. The cab’s waiting,” he said, taking her bags.

Sarah nodded as he left.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said to Connor, worried.

He kissed her quickly and nodded. “Take care, my darling. I’ll give her a call so she knows you’re staying at her place for a while. Don’t worry about your things. We’ll go to your apartment when Erin makes the call.”

Sarah nodded before pulling him to her and kissing him hard one last time.

“Take care for me, okay?” she whispered.

“I will. Be brave for me.”

“I will.”

Sarah walked away fast to the awaiting cab, not before taking a long look at the name of the small card Connor had given her, nervous and unaware of Connor’s worried look on her as she left.

She wondered what her stay with Claire Rhodes would actually turn out to be like, and what she would think of her when she found out she was going to marry her brother. 

* * *

**Do you think they'll get along? O:**

 


	15. The Acquaintance and The Text

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm also continuing this story on Wattpad! You can follow me under the same @name: WhereIsTheBlack. My pen name is Sarah Royalton.   
> Be sure to check it out!

 

**I hope you enjoy this one! Be sure to check this story on Wattpad as well!**

 

* * *

“Reese, they need you at trauma three,” Maggie said in a haste.

“On it.”

They had landed about two hours ago and made their way straight to the hospital. As expected, the place was packed with patients and family members waiting to be treated or attended somehow. The sight was overwhelming, but there wasn’t even time to process whatever that meant.

The morning had consisted on running across hallways, calming people down and exhilaratingly fast thinking… All that while trying to keep their minds off from their two friends who were probably boarding a plane at that very moment to get to where they were.

“Three degree burns and collapsing lungs,” Will told her as she got inside the room. “We need to intubate now, otherwise we’ll lose him.”

Sarah nodded and got hold of the plastic tube to diligently hurry it down the man’s throat. As if on cue, the monitor started beeping loudly, aggravating her newly acquired headache and everyone else’s distress.

“We’re losing him,” Sarah warned, turning around to reach the paddles. “Clear!” she yelled as she pressed them against the man’s chest. The noise died as the man arched on the bed once.

“He’s back,” said Will as he injected him with morphine.

“I got it from here. Go,” he said turning his head once towards her as two more residents scurried inside the room, gloved and ready to assist him with the surgery.

Sarah didn’t even bother replying. As she exited the room, she was bombarded by nurses and doctors asking for her help. She pushed aside the overwhelming feeling again. Taking a break was not an option. Nor feeling tired or stressed whatsoever.

The hours went by like that until her shift was over, continuing feeling of ache panging on her stomach. The second her time was up, she drew out her phone, desperate to hear news about Connor and Ethan:

Two missed calls from Connor and a text message:

_Flight got cancelled. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love, Connor._

Sarah thanked Heavens in relief and dialed quickly. A hand went to her engagement ring, still hanging carefully from her neck under her clothes. She pressed the object against her skin, feeling her uneasy heartbeat in the process.

“Hi baby,”

Hearing Connor’s voice eased something Sarah didn’t know had been trapped in her gut all morning.

“Hi,” she sighed in relief. “How are things?”

“Everything’s fine. They decided to cancel our flight because of the storm, but we’ll be heading over there tomorrow morning. Goodwin has been informed. The bad news is that Ethan and I will receive a remarkable discount from our pay, but other than that, everything is perfect,” he sighed, clearly upset about that last part.

“I love you,” Sarah said impulsively.

Connor didn’t answer for a few seconds, to which she gathered he was probably taken aback by her unexpected outburst.

“I love you too, sweetheart. How’s everything over there?” he asked with kindness.

“Busy,” she said through a thick puff of breath, sitting down on one of the hallway benches.

Connor hummed understandingly, hearing the stress in her voice.

“You should probably get going then. Get some rest, that is.”

Sarah stared into space like a deer caught in headlights. She had completely forgotten she was supposed to stay at Connor’s sister’s place. Heck, she hadn’t even called to ask her about it.

She bit her lip and checked the time: 10:30 p.m. It was late… at least for her. Had Connor briefed her sister in on what was going on with her? Should she- No. She was not going to burden him with that. She knew the relationship with his sister was complicated.

“Rest. Yeah. Rest is good. I should go.”

Connor chuckled. “Take care. I’ll see you tomorrow okay? Love you.”

“Okay. Love you too. Bye.”

Sarah hung up still lost in her thoughts.

She stared down at her phone in a pensive state, nerves starting to creep in, the numbers suddenly becoming a challenge to even look at.

“Okay Reese, time to put on the big girl pants,” she said to herself as she reached for the small presentation card that had been resting on her back pocket.

“Hello?” said a voice after a few rings.

Sarah swallowed hard. “Um, hello. Is this Claire Rhodes?”

“This is her, who’s asking?” said the soft voice. She sounded more mature than Sarah would’ve expected. Sultry, confident…

“This is Sarah Reese. Your brother gave me your number.” She started fidgeting with the hem of her white coat, trying to break in some confidence into her own voice. “He said I could stay at your place for a couple of days?”

There was no answer on the other end. Sarah felt sweat starting to form on her forehead from the anticipation. Three seconds of silence were more than enough for a lifetime.

“Did he now?” replied Claire with a small laugh. Sarah was taken aback by it. The woman sounded almost… happy? “Well, you can tell my dearest brother you’re more than welcome to stay here, Sarah. Tell me where you are, I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

“Oh, there’s really no need-”

“It’s no bother. If this who I think you are, then I truly must insist.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. Had Connor spoken to Claire about her?

“I’m at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.”

“Alright, sit tight,” the woman said with an amused tone. “Someone will be waiting at the entrance in ten.”

The line went dead before Sarah could reply. She mustered a baffled chuckle. Seriously, what was her life right now? She stood in a trance, her mind still wrapped around the phone call. She certainly had yet a lot t to know about Connor’s family. And she was about to.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump defensively. With hitched breath, she turned to the source of her fright and saw an amused Dr. Charles, hands up in a surrender manner.

“It’s just me.”

Sarah closed her eyes in relief and brought a hand to her chest to try and calm her heartbeat. If only he knew she was being stalked by a crazy person that sparked her paranoia times 10, his approach might have been slightly different.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” asked Dr. Charles, still entertained by her reaction.

Sarah strained a smile, which didn’t come unnoticed.

“Everything okay?”

Sarah nodded calmly. “Everything’s perfect, Dr. Charles. You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes. I was just wondering if you were going to the seminary next week.”

Ah, yet another issue she had to worry about, she thought. Next week’s seminary was a way of helping residents decide which path to take regarding their careers. Meaning Sarah’s graduation was just around the corner, and she had still no idea if she was sticking with pathology or not.

It was a subject that had been recently drawn aside with all of Joey’s situation happening. But still, it was something that had to be addressed, and very soon. There was no avoiding it.

“I’ll be there, Dr. Charles,” she said with a small smile.

“That’s good to hear. Graduation is just a couple of weeks away. I’m sure there will be something you can get out of it.”

Sarah nodded with pursed lips.

“Besides, you’re smart, kid. I’m sure you’ll figure out what’s best for you.”

“I wish I’d have the confidence you have in me, Dr. Charles,” she said with a shrug of shoulders. Dr. Charles frowned and drew closer.

“You _do_ have that confidence,” he said, a hand placed on her right shoulder. “If there’s anything I can do to help out, let me know.”

Sarah nodded, staring at the now faraway doctor. She sighed. First things first. She had to get to Claire’s place.

She walked to the hospital entrance with her bags in hand, eyeing the very familiar parking lot. She smiled to herself when she looked at a certain spot. The same one she had come across Connor almost a year ago and had a full on conversation with him for the first time.

The memory echoed in her mind

_“Your car is at the other end of the lot. You’ll freeze,” he finalized._

_He took her stuff from her and placed it at the top of the trunk. He handed her the jacket with a small smile and crossed his arms, waiting for her to put it on._

_Sarah just stood there, dumbfounded._

_“I’m not leaving until I see you put it on.”_

Sarah chuckled at the thought of the jacket. Who knows how things would’ve turned out if it weren’t for that piece of fabric. As a matter of fact, it had been a while since she had last seen Connor wearing it.

A thought crossed her mind, which she immediately put into motion.

_Tomorrow I want to see you wearing THAT jacket._

She knew Connor would probably see her text until tomorrow, but still, she knew it would bring a smile to his face once he read it.

She got distracted by the flashing of lights. She shielded her eyes from an upcoming vehicle that parked right in front of where she was.

Only this was no regular vehicle. This was a black limousine.

The side door was immediately opened by the chauffer. Sarah stared at the car in awe. She had never been in a limousine before. She searched around for the owner only to be disappointed. Surely the staff must be attending a wealthy family or something of the sort.

“Well, aren’t you going to hop in?” asked the old chauffer’s voice after a few seconds of waiting.

Sarah turned to him out of reflex, and felt dread set on her stomach when she found the man staring straight at her.

“You must be mistaken. I’m waiting for my ride,” Sarah said, pulling her stuff towards her even more.

The short, old man chuckled lightly. “Well, if you happen to be a Miss...” he paused, taking a good look at the piece of paper he was holding, “Sarah Reese, from the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, then I’m not mistaken.”

Sarah’s mouth hanged open. This wasn’t real. She stuttered as she tried to find a good excuse or explanation, but the old man anticipated this and shook his head and stretched out an arm to her.

“Come on, we don’t want to keep her waiting,” he winked.

Sarah nodded in a trance, unable to move. The chauffer carried her bags to the trunk and waited for Sarah to climb on. Her phone vibrated once:

A text from Claire.

_Your ride should be there by now. I’ll be waiting._

She did was she was motioned to do in automatic manner. Once the door closed, realization set in: she was inside a limousine. Her. In a limo.

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

 

The limousine ride was not long, or at least it didn’t feel like it. There were a lot of things to be distracted about: a plasma TV, a mini fridge, video game consoles, served snacks, and a wide variety of alcohol selection…

Still, Sarah couldn’t dare touch anything. Heck, she still had to pinch herself to check if she was actually where she was siting. She looked outside to try and figure out if they were nearing the house, but all she saw was black and specks of light from the lampposts.

She sat back down and took in her surroundings. Why a limo? Why not send a normal car? Not that she was ungrateful about it, but she gathered the choice of transportation was probably for one of two reasons: either Claire Rhodes wanted to intimidate her in some way, or the woman was simply…

Her thoughts drowned as they pulled at a closed, black gate. She heard the chauffer say something and then they opened. She couldn’t help but stick her head out of the armored window and swallow hard when she was met with the sight of an enormous mansion, adorned by a vast garden, plants and bushes, warmly lit by yellow lighting.

Ok, so Claire Rhodes was not trying to be impressive. She was in fact a wealthy woman, and Sarah didn’t know what to think of that. Where all the Rhodes wealthy?

The vehicle pulled over in front of the house, and before she was ready, her door was open again.

“We have arrived at Cliffhide Estate, Miss,” the chauffer said, extending his hand for her to take. Sarah did, and hoisted herself out.

 She was presented with her bags by the old man, who then climbed the three steps to ring the doorbell. Sarah smiled at the man’s actions. It seemed as if he had been working here a long time ago. She turned to the huge wooden door and felt nervous again.

“Don’t worry, Miss. Miss Claire is a nice woman. I’m sure you’ll feel right at home,” he reassured.

Sarah smiled.

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that. I’ve never lived in a mansion before,” she joked.

“Ah, but don’t let appearances deceive you,” he inched towards her. “Though it seems intimidating- the house, that is- it’s a very warm place. Miss Claire has always made sure of it,” he said with pride.

“You seem to know her very well.”

“I do. Well, I have known her for fifteen years, since she came to live here. Let’s just say I came with the package,” he laughed.

Sarah grinned and nodded. “Well, I’m glad she kept you,” she joked. “You’re a kind man.”

The chauffer looked down, bashful.

“It’s no problem, Miss,” he smiled warmly. He reminded Sarah of her grandfather somehow.

“If it’s okay that I do, can I know your name?”

The man seemed surprised. “And why would you want to know it, Miss?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’d really want to know who I’m thanking. I had never been on a limousine ride before. Neither had a stranger treated me so carefully.”

“Well, if you must know, my-”

His voice got cut short by the sound of the opening door. Sarah was met with warm, golden light and the sight of a woman who resembled his fiancé in every possible way.

Claire Rhodes was actually shorter than Sarah had expected. She had short, black hair, thick eyebrows, piercing blue eyes accentuated by black mascara and Connor’s same smile and soft expression. She wore a confident stance and smile, and a gleam that accentuated her personality.

“I see you’ve met Antonio, Sarah,” she said with a warm smile, showing her perfect teeth. She too took her time to look at Sarah carefully.

Sarah didn’t say anything, but kept staring at the short woman atop of the stairs. She was truly the splitting image of her brother.

“We were just about to introduce ourselves properly,” smiled Antonio.

“Sorry I stole your thunder then,” chuckled Claire. “Sarah, would you like to come inside? Antonio, please tell Kate to take her bags to her room,” she said politely, amused at Sarah’s unmoving stance.

Sarah blinked hard and nodded, following the other woman.

“It was nice to meet you,” she said to Antonio before she walked inside.

“You too Miss. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around.”

Sarah struggled to not let herself be impressed by the house and act casual. Enormous was a small word suitable for it, yet it looked… humble, in a way. It had a homelike aspect, which Sarah liked at once. There was a lit fireplace, surrounded by several couches and a TV, there was also a painting of fruit Sarah had never seen before hanging from the center wall. A clock, a huge plasma TV, a small marble statue of a horse and a wide array of flowers.

There was a tall bookshelf filled to the top with multiple reads, an audio station with a record player, guitars and a drum set. There were also pictures of her with a graduation gown, and a few others shaking peoples’ hands.

“Can I offer you anything to drink or eat?” asked Claire once they had reached the kitchen, which was filled with different electronic gadgets, two marble countertops and a wide window that looked at a back garden.

“It’s no problem,” she brushed off, careful not to knock anything over as she set her stuff on the floor, near her.

Sarah couldn’t help but look at her properly:  The woman wore a gray business suit, two pens on her front pocket. A black button-up blouse matched her attire with perfection. High heels clicked on the wooden floor with every step as she set her elbows on the counter, resting her face on the palms of her hands. Sarah noticed she wore a silver watch and a ring on her left thumb and index finger.

“Is this how things are going to go then?”

Sarah blinked a few times, unable to understand.

“I don’t bite, you know?” Claire said softly. Her tone of voice reminded Sarah of her brother. Her genuine ways made her feel at ease, like she felt when she was with Connor.

“Besides, if we’re going to be living together for a while we must know a little bit about the other, don’t you think?”

Sarah’s mouth went dry. Of course, she wanted to know who she was, why she was with her brother and why was she here in the first place.

“I understand. What would you like to know?” Sarah asked, ready to be bombarded.

“Do you like blueberries or raspberries with your pancakes?” she asked seriously.

Sarah blinked twice.

“Come again?”

“For breakfast. Also, I need to know your shampoo brand. I’m seeing we have really different kinds of hair,” she said actually worried, running a hand though her own short locks.

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh, feeling at ease.

Claire looked at her confounded, yet smiled, unsure of what Sarah was laughing about, but joining in a few seconds later.

“I see you’re not as fidgety as I thought, thank God,” Claire, said relieved, propping her heels on the counter, feeling more relaxed herself.

Sarah sobered up slightly. “I’m sorry, I tend to be shy towards new people. And I’m sorry for laughing, it’s just that I was expecting other kinds of questions.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Burdening ones. The stressful kind.”

“Oh, don’t worry about those, they will come throughout the night,” Claire winked.

Sarah gulped audibly, making Claire grin.

“Would you like something to drink or eat?”

“Actually, I’m starting to feel kind of tired-”

“Oh, don’t even,” Claire interrupted. “There’s no way I’m letting you off to sleep with an empty stomach.”

Sarah furrowed her brow, slightly nervous. “Um… well, I don’t eat much.”

“I can see that,” Claire said eyeing up her body. Sarah blushed slightly at the action, feeling self-conscious.

“Well, I don’t want to make you go through the trouble of cooking at this hour.”

It was Claire’s turn to laugh now, and hard.

“Me? Cook?! I can’t cook. I’m pretty sure I’ve even burned water.”

“How can you burn water? That’s impossible,” Sarah said with a laugh.

“Well, if it were possible, I’d be the one to do it,” she said, fixing her eyeliner with her thumb. “I mean ordering take out or something. Do you like pizza?”

Sarah smiled. “Yeah, I like pizza.”

“Perfect! Pepperoni?”

“You read my mind.”

Claire got of the counter and dialed the pizza place.

“So, how long have you known my brother?” she asked in a more serious tone.

“Umm…”

“You know, when Connor called me I wasn’t surprised it was about you,” she said, taking a drink from her wine glass and then hanging up the phone after placing their order.

“Really? How so?” asked Sarah, intrigued.

“I mean, we never really talk much about anything. But he does mention you quite a lot. I can tell he really does like you.”

Sarah blushed. “I like your brother a lot too.”

Claire grinned. “How long have you been dating?” she asked again, interested.

“Almost a year,”

Claire’s eyes opened wide. “Really!” she said unbelievingly. “You guys must be serious, then.”

“We are.” Sarah didn’t know how much Connor wanted his sister to know about them, but she gathered that if she was staying at her house as a guest, the least she could do was to be honest. “We’re engaged,” she said out of breath, expecting a negative reaction.

Claire’s mouth turned into an unexpressive line. Sarah waited patiently yet with heavy breathing for either her curse or her blessing.  But neither came. Instead, Claire’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“Claire… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“I’m happy for you two,” Claire nodded vigorously, swallowing back the tears. “I am, truly. From the little Connor has told me, and from what I see now, I gather you’re a nice girl, Sarah. And I know my brother. I’m sure he made a good decision. It’s just… I never hear from him, you know,” she said with a shrug of shoulders.

Sarah looked sympathetically at her. She couldn’t fathom the reason why Connor had chosen to keep his distance from her, regardless of how difficult his family situation was.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that it would’ve been nice to hear it from him sooner,” she said solemnly.

“I’m sure he is planning to tell you,” Sarah reassured. “And I’m sorry I got ahead of things and said it myself.”

“No, don’t,” Claire said, composing herself. “I’m glad you did. Like I said, I’m happy for you. And it gives me a good reason to pry into your life a little more,” she said with a chuckle, easing the tension between them.

Sarah nodded, still in thought. She debated whether to ask more about Connor’s life now that they were on the subject.

“Can I ask you something?” she settled on saying.

“Sure,” Claire said, a little on edge as well.

“I hope this doesn’t come off as rude, but why don’t you and Connor… like… get along?” she managed out.

“It’s not that we don’t get along,” Claire sighed. “It’s just…” Claire looked at her carefully before she got up and left the room. Sarah tensed up as she watched her walk away, a dreading feeling setting on the pit of her stomach. She had messed up. Whatever this was, it was not her business, and she had pushed Claire too far. Or so she had thought until Claire came back with a picture frame in hand.

She handed it over to her and Sarah took it and her eyebrows shot upwards slightly.

It was the picture of Claire, smiling straight at the camera, holding a twelve or thirteen year old looking boy’s hand in her own, and the hand of a younger girl, perhaps five years old or so with her other hand. They looked happy, dressed in summer, farm clothing, and green grasslands behind them.

“That’s my mom.”

Sarah now understood. “She looks…”

“Just like me, I know. We could practically be the same person. Connor doesn’t admit it, but I know that’s why he avoids me. I remind him of her.”

“I’m-”

“He doesn’t even know about my job. Or where I live, for that matter. Ever since mom died… we’ve seen each other once a year perhaps. Fifteen minutes at the most.”

Sarah nodded in silence. This was a heavy subject, without a doubt. She didn’t want to pressure Claire into telling her this right now. She hoped that it all would come out, but over time, when Claire’s decision of letting her know wasn’t influenced by sentimentalism.

“Do you want to talk about something else?” Sarah proposed, letting the frame rest on the counter.

“Why don’t we change the subject to the elephant in the room?” Claire asked.

“Wha-”

“I mean, I do have to ask,” Claire said, sitting in front of her again. “It’s not that I dislike you being here, but why did Connor propose that you stay with me? I mean, you seem like a nice person, so that means you must have friends… why didn’t you stay over with them?”

Sarah fidgeted on her seat. “Well… about that… You’re probably going to kick me out,” she said as a matter of fact.

Claire frowned. “Why on earth would I?”

“Because of my ex-boyfriend.”

Claire frowned. “So there’s ex-boyfriend drama now?” she asked, interested in the piece of gossip.

“It’s not like that,” Sarah explained. “He’s… deranged. Delusional.”

“How so?”

“Crazy cuts it short. He’s been stalking me for months, sending letters, texts, invading my personal space, taunting me… He…” she stopped. She didn’t know if she should-

“You can tell me,” Claire reassured, as if reading her thoughts.

“He blew up a cat. And he blamed it on me. He said I make him do these things. He just won’t let it go. He’s volatile… unpredictable. I can’t stay over with friends because he knows they are linked to me. He could try and hurt them, and I couldn’t forgive myself if that happened. I needed to stay someplace safe, with someone he can’t link to me. That’s when Connor thought of you. But I understand if this is too much to ask. I can find myself a hotel or someplace to stay if you’re not comfortable. The last I want to do is involve other people. Put them in danger.”

The sound of the doorbell echoed in the room and both girls jumped from their seats.

“Relax, it’s just the pizza,” Claire said, still shaken by what she had just heard. She cleared her throat and crossed the kitchen decidedly. She grabbed a wall phone and dialed a few numbers.

“Antonio? I know it’s late, I apologize. I’m going to need extra security. Double it. Better yet, triple it. I want officers in every door, I want the gate closed at all times. No one comes in without my knowing, is that clear?” she paused to hear the other end of the line. “I’ll explain tomorrow. Thank you. Also, the pizza has arrived, would it be much trouble if- Thank you.”

She hung up and got back to where the medical student was with a decided and firm expression.

“You can stay here as long as you want, Sarah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Completely. If my brother wanted you to stay with me is because he found no other solution,” she sighed. “Have you contacted the police?”

“I have. I have direct contact with Detective Lindsay.”

Claire smiled. “Detective Lindsay? It’s been years since I’ve heard about her.”

Sarah looked at her quizzically. “Wait. Do you know her?”

“Of course I know her. She and Connor were inseparable. That was until Connor was arrested.”

Sarah eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. “Connor was arrested?!”

Claire frowned. “He’s never told you about that?”

Sarah sat back, confused, and somewhat disappointed. “No, he hasn’t.”

“Well, it was a very difficult time for him. He made a few wrong decisions in high school.”

“What kind of decisions?” Sarah pressed on.

Claire looked regretful, and tried to avert the subject. “Look, I shouldn’t-”

“Please, Claire. I have to know. I need to know how important this is.”

Claire sighed, conflicted.

“I think it’s best if Connor told you himself. It’s really not my place. I’m sorry I even brought it up.”

Sarah sighed, stressed. So Claire was not telling her anything. She crossed her arms over herself, motion that didn’t go unnoticed by Claire.

“Look, it’s not as bad as it sounds. It was a misdemeanor. You could ask him about it tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it.”

Sarah nodded, yet felt conflicted. What had Connor hadn’t been telling her. Had he been lying about something this whole time?

* * *

 

Conversation carried on casually after that, and each got to know the other a little bit better. Sarah told Claire about her work at the hospital and how she had met Connor. She told her about the incident at the nurses’ station where she was attacked, and how Connor had always been there for her. How their attraction towards one another had grown into love.

Claire, on the other hand, focused more on her work. She explained that she was an attorney, and that she had helped with a very controversial case when she was in college, which had opened multiple doors for her career. She was currently helping Italy and Alaska, not to mention America, with multiple cases that were presented at her, and with that came a lot of benefits, including the house and service.

They both decided to call it a night by 2 a.m. Claire gave her a quick tour of the house and where she would be sleeping, which happened to be almost the size of Sarah’s whole apartment.

“I told Antonio to help you get your stuff here, so you don’t have to go alone.”

“Thanks, Claire. I told Connor I’d wait for him to get here to go and do that…” she said, reserved.

Claire nodded, the sound of his brother’s name upsetting her a little.

“Tell him I say hi when you see him,” she sighed.

“I will,” Sarah nodded.

After Claire let her be and she installed herself properly in the bedroom, continuous racing thoughts flooded her mind. Had she done the right thing coming here? Had she put Claire in danger? The idea of increased security soothed her, but couldn’t drive her tenseness away completely. She knew she would never find peace until Joey was behind bars… and she knew neither would Connor.

She reached a hand inside her shirt and grabbed her ring, pressing it tightly against her palm. Her heart ached at the thought of him. Meeting Claire had given her a new insight of why he had distanced himself from his family, and it pained her to think of how much he must have suffered about it. Yet another issue pressed on her mind. What could Connor not have told her? They were going to be married soon, for heaven’s sake. There was no room for lying or hiding information anymore. Especially not now.

She tried to get some sleep, unsuccessfully, because everything looked different, smelled different, felt different and was different than what she had come to know. Her body begged for rest, but her mind wouldn’t give it to it.

Her phone vibrated from the bedside table and she stretched to take it. Her eyes, narrowing at the newly coming source of light.

She jumped into a sitting position and felt her heart beat out of her chest when she read the message she had been sent form an unknown number.

“No… please, no. Please…” she begged the darkness. She felt she was going to pass out from anguish.

_Dearest little Sarah Reese, where could baby Owen be?_

* * *

**Be sure to follow this story on Wattpad as well and send messages!! Love you guys!**

 


	16. The Captivity

**WARNING: This chapter is rated M for torture.**

**Some of the words in _Italics_ are events in the future but belonging to that same chapter.**

**Be sure to let me know what you thought.**

* * *

_It was dark and humid; the smell of rust invading the deep of her soul._

_It was small; not a place to contain a human, of course. Much less an adult one._

_It was lonely._

_It was HELL._

_Breathing was uncomfortable. So was sitting or standing. Her limbs ached for release, the fresh cuts on her wrists from the pulling of the shackles begged attention._

_She hadn't been here long, but it felt like days. Her clothes reeked of dirt and sweat, her jeans were ragged and ripped. Her hair stuck to her face due to the constantly forming beads of sweat._

_The door opened and she flinched, scowling away from the light. Her ankles could barely support her, but she couldn't rise. The shackles were tied down to a low pipe close to the dirty floor._

_She sensed a figure approaching her. She knew who he was, alright. But didn't dare make eye contact._

_The man crouched down. The woman awaited a scream, a slap, something. But none came. He just stared at her. She closed her eyes when he raised his hand, expectant for the pain. She could feel a few hairs rip off her scalp when he grabbed her moist curls and tugged hard towards himself. There was no compassion for her wounds: not for her swollen eye, or the throbbing gash on her cheek, or the blackening bruises on her arms and legs. She stepped carefully to avoid losing her balance and falling to the ground._

_"_ _You need washing," the man said, disgusted by the smell of dirt and sweat. He threw her hair back at her face and stepped back._

 _"_ _Please," she muttered weakly as he walked away._

 _"_ _Please what?" the shadow said back dangerously._

_The girl cried, unable to keep it together. "I'm sorry," she pleaded, wiping a trail of saliva on her bare shoulder._

_The man scoffed, offended. "Too late for that."_

_The door closed leaving her to darkness again and she cried. They were desperate tears, but quiet ones as well._

_How on earth had things come to be like this? And more importantly: how had it all come to be her fault?_

* * *

Sarah Reese had just hung up her phone, bile rising up in her throat. She dry-heaved once before rushing to the restroom and emptying the contents of her stomach out with violence. Her arms trembled as she struggled to get up from the toilet.

He had Owen. He had…

Fear forced her to vomit once again with more force than before.

She rose and gurgled water from the sink and spit it out weakly. She then coughed as she tried to regain control of the baleful feeling that set on the pit of her stomach.

She glanced at the mirror once and looked down, scared. She didn't recognize herself… this fear reflected on her features that pummeled at her soul and tried to paralyze her. She forced herself to look back up again. She breathed hard and heavy, indulging in a few seconds of complete desperation, feeling the pain, the anger, the fear…

She contemplated her reflection one last time before turning away and exiting the bathroom.

She stood at the center of the immense room in trance, replaying the call she had just made:

 _"_ _What are you asking? What do you want?!"_

 _"_ _It's called equivalent exchange, Sarah. I want you. You know it's always been you."_

_Her throat went dry._

_"_ _I can't- I-"_

 _"_ _It's your choice, Sarah. You instead of Dr. Manning's son. No police. No friends. No Connor FUCKING Rhodes. JUST. YOU. Simple as that."_

_Only it wasn't simple. It was anything but simple. She was about to put her life on the line and knew no one would find her. This was the end._

_There was no other solution. Tears clouded her vision and her drum-beating heart rattled her thoughts. Steady breathing was impossible. Sweat dripped down her back and forehead, stinging her crazed eyes as she searched around for something… someone… to help her. But there was no one. There was nothing. She was alone._

_This was the end indeed._

_"_ _When and where?"_

_She heard Joey's smile through the phone, pleased with her choice of words._

She shook her head and eyed her surroundings as if looking for a solution… a lifeline.

Nothing.

Her phone ringed and she jolted.

Will Halstead. The impending call.

"Hello?"

Why had she answered? If she hadn't, perhaps she would have saved herself screams and cries now engraved on her mind forever.

"Sarah!" Will yelled through desperate screams and crying from a broken woman's faraway voice. "Owen's gone. HE'S GONE! I don't know- I- I can't- I-"

The voice grew smaller as he tried to calm Nat down, who was frantically crying and calling people.

"Please get here…" Will cried. "I can't…" came a despairing plea before he hung up on her.

Hell had broken loose. It was her turn to end it now.

She threw on a tank top and sweatshirt over her and fixed her hair on a ponytail. She put on jeans and shoes before she climbed down the stairs quietly.

She knew the door was locked, but spotted the security panel on the kitchen wall and set herself to disable it. She had to. Otherwise…

"What are you doing?" came a groggy voice from the stairs.

Sarah froze in the middle of the darkness until the lights turned on, revealing a tired Claire, dressed in a black silk robe.

Sarah gulped and sighed, looking down.

"I need to get out."

"What are you talking about?" asked Claire as she wiped sleep away from her face and approached her.

"I mean I can't stay here," Sarah said shakily.

"Why? Is everything okay?" Claire asked concerned. She raised a hand to place it on her shoulder but lowered it when she saw Sarah flinch away.

"I'm not. I seriously need to leave," she replied painfully still not looking at her before hurrying to the door.

"What are you talking about? There's a maniac on the loose waiting to get you alone and you want to leave at 3 in the morning?" asked Claire, baffled.

Sarah shook her head and gritted her teeth. "What I do or don't do is not your business Claire."

Claire walked up to her, confused about her sudden boldness. " _You_ made it my business."

Sarah rolled her eyes and tried opening the door without success.

"You're not leaving," said the black-haired woman firmly. "I don't know what the hell could've possibly happened in the course of an hour, but you're not leaving this house. I won't let you. Not until you tell me what's going on."

Sarah whipped her head. "You won't _let_ me?"

Claire crossed her arms in a daring stance.

"Open the door," Sarah demanded, livid.

"What on earth happened?" Claire retorted, worried. "Everything was fine earlier, why-?

"No, you're wrong, everything was NOT fine," Sarah said to the door.

Claire closed her mouth shut, taken aback.

"What…?"

Sarah felt her insides churn as she turned to face her. She raised her hands in stress, trying to articulate something but lowered them dangerously. She had no time for this. Every second she wasted was one more second that Owen was in danger. She had to be where Joey wanted her to be right now and the only way to do that was getting rid of Claire, no matter how.

"Listen, Claire. I get that I got here and you thought that we could get to know each other and perhaps become friends," Sarah began, getting near her. "We're not. We're far from it. From what your brother has told me, you've done nothing but hurt him and your family," she accused heavily. "Connor found no other way to help me, so this was his last resort. Did you hear me? _Last. Resort._ I thought I could play along with being nice and all but I can't. I can't do that for the person responsible for my fiancé's sorrow."

Claire stared at her, wide-eyed and confused. "But… I didn't…" began her meek reply.

"Did you think that requesting to see him every year wouldn't hurt him? Bullshit. You've been nothing but selfish. That's who you are. Selfish and self-absorbing. I mean, what did you think?! That seeing him would bring your family back together?! It hasn't. It WON'T. Connor wants NOTHING to do with you."

Claire hung her head down, tears forming in her eyes. "But I… it wasn't my fault."

"Who the hell cares whose fault is it?! You said so yourself, Connor can't even bear to look at you! He wants to forget his past, not relive it every freaking year!" Sarah spat.

She noticed how Claire's spirit began to become smaller, so she attacked again.

"I thought I could do this. I seriously thought so, but I can't. I can't stay with the person who has single-handedly ruined the life of the person I love, and I-"

"Okay."

Sarah closed her mouth. "Okay?" she asked confused.

Claire beheld her again, tears glistening in her eyes and livid.

"You want to leave, then leave. But don't come here and pretend you know me. You don't."

"Open the door," Sarah said one last time. She managed to hide how destroyed she felt for doing that to Claire. There was no way she would see her again, that was for sure. But then again, she would never see anyone ever again. "I'll send for my stuff later."

Claire scoffed. "It'll be waiting for you at the porch."

Claire rolled her eyes and pushed a code on the security panel and the entrance door clicked.

Sarah grabbed the handle and pulled back. She descended the stairs with tears in her eyes, guilty for sounding plausible. She breathed out as she trotted towards the gate, broken.

Alone.

"I thought I liked you, Sarah Reese," Claire's voice followed as she sprinted away and punched numbers on her phone to call an uber.

"I was wrong," Claire's voice said one last time before her door was closed.

_Good._

* * *

_"_ _Here," said the man's voice as he kicked a bucket towards her, splashing her with water in the process. The combination of the liquid and soap burned at her scratches and wounds._

_She hissed away as she gritted her teeth, suppressing a scream._

_"_ _Wash," he said throwing her a rag. "We're leaving soon."_

_The woman looked up from her ripped jeans and to face his face, trembling._

_"_ _Leaving?"_

_The man lopsided his head. "We have somewhere to be."_

_"_ _But I thought-"_

 _"_ _I said WASH!"_ he bellowed.

_She flinched as if burned and nodded, dabbing the rag on the water and cleaning her wounds. He stood there for a few seconds, angry, before shaking his head. He crouched in front of her and held her face._

_"_ _Things used to be so different between us," he said with regret._

_She didn't answer, the tears leaving her eyes working as a valid answer for him._

_He kissed her, hard. She felt disgusted when she felt him sucking on the blood of her cut lip. He let go when breathing became an issue._

_"_ _I love you," he said._

_She didn't answer._

_He stood stunned._

_"_ _Say it back."_

_But she turned away. She still had will in her. She was still free to decide. And she was going to hold on to that freedom. It was what kept her alive._

_"_ _Say it back," he insisted, angry._

_She looked up at him for a second but didn't say a word._

_He growled as he slapped her with force, knocking her down. She felt a fresh cut on the inside of her cheek and spat out blood. But instead of feeling scared or sad, she felt an unfamiliar rage creep its way inside of her. Anger that gave her spirit and a sense of vitality she had forgotten._

_"_ _SAY YOU LOVE ME!"_

_She sighed deeply, spitting the accumulated blood on her mouth again. She shook her head. She knew it would probably kill her, but she was not dying oppressed. If she said she loved him back, it would break her. It would kill her spirit._

_He stood perplexed, watching her._

_"_ _Fine."_

_He left the room, and she attempted to get up. She struggled with the shackles, hurting herself even more so in the process. She looked everywhere trying to find a way out, a weapon, something. She inspected the bucket, finding nothing that could help her other than plastic. Her respiration turned ragged when she heard footsteps approaching._

_She spent a few minutes struggling with the chains until the door opened, revealing a terrifying scene._

_"_ _No… No, please no! PLEASE, PLEASE, I BEG YOU, NO! PLEASE JOEY, NO!"_

 _"_ _You belong to me. No one else," he said as he approached her with the scalding, red, metallic rod._

* * *

Connor Rhodes sighed in desperation.

"Still no sign of her," Will said as he trotted to him. They were currently at the Chicago PD station trying to work out where Sarah could be.

This had to be the second worst day of Connor Rhodes's life. He felt the same anguish he had felt when her mother had committed suicide. The same desperation and pain. Words could not describe the empty feeling he felt when he had heard the news. That Owen had been kidnapped and was now safe, but her fiancé… the woman she loved… the woman he would give his own life for was nowhere to be found.

He dragged his hands over his face, trying to calm himself down.

Nat was home being questioned by Jay. Ethan was currently helping search for her. April and Maggie were answering questions to help the search, and everyone else… Everyone else prayed that Sarah Reese was found and brought home safely.

"I need you to repeat how things went down. Step by step," Connor demanded.

"Around 2 a.m. Owen went missing from the nursery at Nat's place. The window was broken, so she knew someone had taken him. She called me and as I went over, I called Jay and everyone we know for backup on searching. Sarah picked up when I called her, but she didn't say anything back when I asked her to come help. About an hour or so later, April called saying she had found Owen at one of the hospital rooms, alone. When I reached everyone to call the search off, Sarah didn't pick up. Not only that, but her phone had no signal. I tried her other devices, but I got nothing back. That's when I knew something was up," Will said.

Connor raked his hands through his hair, unable to think clearly. He didn't know anything about her history with Joey. Special places, important events, nothing. He was an idiot. How could he not know? How could he not have asked about that if his fiancé was being stalked by him and there was a possibility this might come to happen?

He swallowed hard. There had been no note or messages. No goodbye. He knew what that meant. She was committed to giving herself away and not coming back. It was as if she had accepted defeat.

"It's him. It's that fucking maniac."

Will looked back at him, worried.

"She traded herself for Owen, I know she did," Connor lamented. Of course she had. He knew her good heart. Her good, impulsive and completely reckless heart.

"I already have Jay on it. All of Chicago is on her case, I can promise you that," Will reassured.

"That's not enough," Connor snapped. "God knows what that sick bastard could be doing to her right now."

"Connor," The familiar voice of Erin came from behind him. "I need you to come with me."

"What did you find?" he asked as he walked with her.

"Not what. Who. And I didn't find her, she came on her own."

Connor stopped dead in his tracks when he came face to face with his one and only sister.

"Claire has some answers for us," Lindsay said, looking at him with slight worry.

Connor swallowed but kept firm. "What do you know, Claire?"

The shorter woman came up to him and stared back at him for a few seconds. She then turned to Lindsay.

"Sarah stayed at my place last night at Connor's insistence. Everything seemed to be going fine and we talked casually. She started acting weird around 3 a.m., saying she wanted to leave. She attacked me verbally. Said it was my fault our family was broken, and stuff like that. She wanted to get to me so that I let her leave. She wanted me to hate her."

Connor shook his head, but Claire carried on. "I didn't buy her farce, of course. I knew something was up but made her believe she had affected me and I let her leave. She contacted an uber and I called my chauffeur to have her followed. He told me her every move, but I lost communication with him about twenty minutes ago. I'm afraid something happened. Last I heard they were near the Navy Pier."

"I'll meet you there," Connor said to Erin as he sprinted to the parking lot.

Lindsay set out to follow him but stopped for a second when she saw Claire hug herself and eyeing everything but her.

"You should've called the police."

Claire looked back, annoyed. "I had everything under control."

"Clearly," Lindsay scoffed.

Claire looked away and grabbed her bag, ready to leave.

"If you don't mind, I'll go testify," she said in mock politeness.

"She lied," Erin said to her back.

"What?" Claire asked looking back at her.

"Sarah lied. If she had told the truth, she would've told you Connor's the one who feels is to blame for your family being broken. He thinks that if he had saved Jessica-"

"Stop," Claire said, shaking her head. "It's wasn't his fault. It wasn't anyone's. Mom was depressed."

"Well, somehow he feels responsible. It's your job… _our_ job to help him see how wrong he is. Help him get through this."

"How?" Claire said angrily. "He won't even let me see him."

"I sense that from now on things will change between the two of you. He's gotten you involved, whether he likes it or not."

Claire smiled sadly. "Right. So now I'm the nuisance. The stone on the way."

"No. You're the lifeline."

* * *

The door slammed shut as she whimpered. The slightest movement ripped at her now burnt side as she tried to lay down without aggravating the wound anymore. Ripples of pain came each time with more intensity. It was unbearable, but what was much so was the action on itself.

He had branded her.

She observed the live skin with caution. The newly formed 'J' that had been marked into her had now started to scar just barely. She averted her eyes, unable to accept it. If his goal was to break her, he was succeeding. She felt like giving up on the tiniest bit of hope she had been holding on to.

She lay still, barely conscious. She felt so alone. She felt like nothing. Her mind wandered away from the pain and to the image of baby Owen. How defenseless he had been. And unaware that his short life could've ended in the blink of an eye.

The rage came back to her. She wanted to kill Joey. Make him suffer just as much as she had.

The fury gave her purpose. She wasn't nothing. She was something… someone. She had saved Owen:

 _"_ _Where is he?" Sarah asked her phone when she reached the Navy Pier. She looked around for Joey, unable to spot him. The place was alone and dark. She felt in a horror movie and constantly watched her back. The only sound was that of the softly moving water, hitting the Pier every two seconds or so._

 _"_ _Careful, Sarah…"_

 _"_ _Cut the shit, where is Owen?!" she barked at the device again._

_Joey laughed. "Wow, feisty, aren't we? Don't worry, he's with me. By the Ferris Wheel."_

_Sarah dropped her phone and sprinted to said place and then saw him. Her blood boiled when she saw him with the baby strapped to his chest as if he were a responsible parent._

_"_ _I'm here. Let him go."_

_Joey smiled and unstrapped him. He then held him by the front part of his little clothes and held him towards the water._

_Sarah felt a bolt of lightning course through her._

_"_ _Stop! Don't, please!" she begged, alarmed._

 _"_ _Do you really want me to let him go?" he asked mischievously._

 _"_ _No. Please, he has nothing to do with this. I'll come with you. It's me you want, right? I promise I'll come with you," she bargained._

_Joey looked away, ignoring her, so she approached him angrily. She stopped though when Joey let her barely see the end of a gun inside his jacket._

_He then called someone. Sarah's breath caught in her throat when a man came up to him. A man she knew. Howard. She had worked with him at the lab. He was a resident, just as her._

_"_ _Here's another part," Joey said to him, handing him money._

_Sarah shook her head. She now understood. All this time he had been his freaking spy._

_"_ _Take him to his mother," he said, handing Owen to him, before caressing his cheek. The baby started crying and Sarah felt repulsed._

_Howard nodded and set to leave._

_"_ _And stick around near them," Joey commanded last. He then turned to Sarah. "Any bright ideas or funny business and he dies."_

_Sarah gulped, but nodded, ready to give herself away._

_Joey smiled and walked up to her as Howard disappeared with Owen. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and Sarah suppressed the feeling of hitting him hard or stepping back for the matter._

_"_ _Now, you come with me, sweetheart."_

_His grip on her arm was tight and bruising as he walked down the Pier and into a basement. That was the last thing she saw before she was blindfolded._

Her mind returned to the dark room where she was in and to the unwavering pain. She sat up, carefully; decided.

She was not going to die here. Not under the hand of a coward. She gritted her teeth hard as she pulled at her shackles again, and again, and again with all the strength she could muster. If the pipe wouldn't budge, her hands, now wet with fresh blood, would slide from their restraints.

She bit back a scream as she pulled harder and harder. She pulled desperately, not giving herself any rest. She thought of the people she loved in the process. She was doing this for her and them. She had to stay alive.

She pulled harder, the pipe rattling in the process. She looked at her faces on her mind this time contemplating each of them.

Then she thought of Connor. Her mind fast-forwarded on its own: she saw her wedding and both saying 'I do'. She saw their honeymoon. She saw little kids on a house.

 _Her_ house.

 _Her_ kids.

Just then, her will to live tripled. She pulled one last time with an unknowable force, jarring one of her wrists on the process, and with a loud bang, the pipe broke from the wall.

Blood started dripping down her hands as she stood up dizzily. As she did, her ripped tank top fell down to her knees, leaving her to her top underwear. She struggled to quickly dab the shirt across her wrists and clean her wounds, her hands still prisoned by metal.

She then hurried to the door but froze when she heard footsteps again. She went back to grab the now loose pipe and hid beside the door, ready to strike. Her heart beat in her ears, adrenaline rushing to every inch of her body. Once the door opened and Joey walked in, she hit him hard on the head. She left the room as he pummeled down with a painful yell.

Sarah ran ignoring the presetting pain that pleaded her to stop. She ran across an underground wooden hallway, searching for a door or a way out. She had to escape, but as she spotted the door to run, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Joey's phone. She needed to get it. Otherwise Owen…

She sighed with a violent tremor as she made her way back. The pipe was raised high, ready to strike again in case. She limped carefully to the still lying Joey and spotted his phone just beside him. She gulped once before crouching down carefully and retrieving the device.

She looked at him. There was blood pouring from his head. She stood up and examined him. Had she killed him? No… she couldn't have. The blow hadn't been-

She screamed when she felt a strong grip on her ankle, pulling her to the ground. She fell with a loud thud on the side of her burn. She screamed again as she felt the wound reopen. Joey pulled her to him, clawing at her stomach with his nails, leaving gnarly scratches. She yelled again and kicked him hard on the nose with the heel of her foot and got up.

Her running got faster, a limp with every step. She reached the door and cried out when she found it locked. The pipe rose above her head and into the door in the attempt to jar the lock o break the wood. Then again. And again. She managed to crack the lock open and she felt relief. She took hold of the handle but stopped dead when she felt something cold on the back of her neck. Her senses focused on the jagged breathing of the man behind her holding a gun to her. She didn't dare move and kept her hands still.

He had won. The slightest movement and it would be her end.

She turned slightly to look at the piece of lead she was still holding and considered her options:

Either die fighting, or die pleading.

Sarah hitched a breath and quickly turned around, the pipe gripped firmly in both her hands.

* * *

"Anything?" Connor asked Lindsay as both scanned their surroundings. The sun had begun to shine its rays over them just barely. Time was running out, Connor thought. He just hoped Sarah was okay. That she held on for a little longer.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," she said with her gun out as her men scattered on the Pier like ninjas, guns and batons at the ready.

"Wait," Erin said, eyeing the floor. "I see something." She approached the object of her interest followed by Connor.

"A phone."

"It's hers," said Connor frantically doubling over to reach it.

He scanned through it on edge, searching for every app and every message.

"Here!" he yelled more at himself that at anyone else for the matter when he opened the notes app. "It's a note."

Erin leaned closer. "Joey called. Wanted me instead of Owen. I'm sorry, I had to," she read out, as Connor gritted his teeth.

"It was posted about four hours ago."

Erin nodded. "She must not be far." She then called a more profound search on the place to her men.

Then, the deafening sound of thunder set between them. Both stood still, their worst fears confirmed as they heard the echo of the dreadful sound across the Pier.

"Was that a gunshot?"

* * *

**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and if it was too much.**


	17. The Aftermath

Hey **guys! Let me know what you think! :)**

* * *

The sound echoed in her ears like a drum. The impulse of the bullet piercing through her body like an invisible force and pushing her back softly. Then the pain… then the numbness.

Sarah struggled to keep herself up as Joey ran away leaving her to herself. She looked down in shock and confirmed her fears when she saw a tiny black hole and spurts of blood gushing out of her and coating her stomach and legs. She trembled, as she fell to her knees, one trying to balance her body, the other attempting to rise without success.

Her hands went to the side of her stomach with delicacy, shaking. She felt blood push them away, but she kept them there.

 _I've been shot._ She repeated on her head. _I've been shot. I've been shot._

_Joey SHOT me._

But no matter how many times she tried to assimilate it, she felt like if she were depersonalized. This wasn't happening to her. It couldn't. The pain would be unbearable, and all she felt was numb. The pain was there all right, but why didn't her body register it?

A door opened. Had he come back to kill her?

But she saw not a figure, but two.

"Sarah?"

She focused on them until faces stood out from silhouettes. Erin Lindsay stood still in disbelief, gun raised as she averted her eyes to check her surroundings. Beside her, a relieved-looking Connor Rhodes whose expression morphed into one of shock and desperation in a matter of seconds.

The medical student felt at ease once she saw him clearly. She felt safe she was okay now. She struggled to get up but crumbled trembling to the ground when she felt a flash of searing pain hold her and bring her back to reality.

Connor rushed to her side yelling, but Sarah couldn't hear him. She could barely listen to her own thoughts.

"This is Detective Lindsay, I need an ambulance and medical assistance right now!"

"She barely has a pulse," Connor panted as he placed two fingers on the side of her neck. He scanned the damage and felt uneasy at the sight. A bullet wound through the right lumbar region. He cursed under his breath and fought back tears.

Then he noticed it. The scar in the form of a J, hidden beneath slippery coats of blood. He looked at it, unable to formulate a coherent thought. He was functioning on automatic, adrenaline taking over his body. He gently moved her to her side and sighed when he noticed the exit wound. She could make it. She could make it if she an emergency surgery. If not…

"I need immediate backup, P.I.'s on the loose, we're below the Navy Pier, track my location," Lindsay hurried into her radio as she kneeled down beside Connor, his hands applying pressure to the wound to slow the flow of blood.

"I need to slow the bleeding," Connor said to Erin urgently. "Get over here, help me."

Erin did as she was told, pressing her palms to the wound and feeling the blood rush trough her fingers as Connor took off his jacket, the one Sarah loved so much so, and replaced Lindsay's hands with the fabric, applying force.

"Please Sarah, please… baby, please," he whispered at her, his voice breaking in the process. He cleaned off blood and the scar emerged again, mocking him, laughing at his situation. He turned to Lindsay, livid.

"Find him," Connor said, trembling with fury. "I don't care what you have to do, but don't let him escape. DON'T. Let. Him. Get. Away." Connor barked at her.

Erin nodded worriedly, catching a glimpse of the scarred flesh as well. Gun in hand, she rushed off to find him.

Connor looked down at his barely conscious fiancé. Now that Erin was gone, he allowed himself to feel a little more vulnerable. Looking at her like that, barely alive, pulled at him, and desperation clouded his vision. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, that she would make it… but it would all be a lie. He knew that if the ambulance wasn't there in minutes, Sarah would certainly die.

He glanced around the room unable to find what to do and saw a small chain with her engagement ring attached to it. His eyes glistened at the thought of the past few months. How happy they both had been that it had seemed too good to be true. He closed his eyes at the thought of all coming to an end.

Suddenly, Sarah opened her eyes in a jolt and stared into a sea of blue. Was she dreaming?

"Baby?" she heard Connor say, hopeful. "Stay with me, sweetheart. It's almost over, but I need you to stay awake, okay? Just for a few more moments. I promise it will all be over soon," he managed out, stroking her hair with one hand. He didn't dare move her position in case she had damaged her head, but she tilted it back slightly to allow the entrance of more oxygen into her body.

Sarah felt a flash of pain soar through her again and she screamed, her eyes wide open and searching around in angst for a source of comfort.

"Don't move," Connor commanded. "It's okay, darling, I'm here," he reassured her as he tried to contain her. "I'm here, I love you,"

"Where- Joey-"

"Shhh, I know. He won't hurt you anymore, you're safe. I promise you Lindsay will get him. He won't get away with this."

Sarah swallowed hard, panting against the increasing waves of agony. "I'm dying, aren't I?" she whispered, unable to look him in the eyes.

"No," he shook his head with glistening eyes. "No, you're not dying. Don't worry about that, okay? I will fix you," he comforted her with a bright smile, so she could see he wasn't worried about her situation at all.

Sarah half smiled, but all hope had abandoned her eyes.

"These have been the best months of my life," she began, but Connor shook his head.

"Don't," he said, a few tears escaping him. "You're okay. I promise I'll fix you. I will fix this."

Tears flowed freely from her eyes. "I would have loved to be your wife."

Connor shook his head and looked up, forcing the tears to get swallowed back inside. He took a few breaths before he looked down again at the woman he loved.

"You will," he choked, contouring her face with a finger. "You will be my wife. We will get married."

Sarah looked at him and smiled through the pain. "I always knew," she whispered with difficulty as she held his face.

"What?"

"That I'd be yours forever."

"And I'm yours," Connor whispered back, holding her hand.

"Promise me you will be happy again."

Connor shook his head. "I'm happy with you. I love _you_."

Sarah closed her eyes briefly, struggling to breathe steadily.

"Sarah? Sarah, stay with me," Connor pressed on with insistence.

"Promise me."

Connor cried, shaking his head. He couldn't promise that. It would be a lie. But looking down at her… broken and barely breathing, he nodded.

"I promise, sweetheart. I promise I will if you fight. Fight for us, please, I beg you," he choked out frantically.

But Sarah didn't move. She didn't miraculously get up and speak back, nor she flinched or gave away any sign that she was listening. She just lay still, the color on her face fading quickly. Connor's world blurred as he stared down at her. As he held the girl he loved with all his might, heart and soul and watched her slowly but surely leaving this world and heading into the next. There was nothing he could do. He was powerless… defeated.

"Sarah?" he sobbed. "Baby, please. Sarah, wake up. Wake up. Please, I can't do this without you. Sarah. SARAH!"

His screams and begs echoed on the iron walls as the door opened revealing paramedics hurrying inside followed by medical gear and the sounds of ambulances. None of that seemed to register on his mind as he stared at the peacefully sleeping Sarah, all traces of pain or hurt away from her face.

She barely registered his pleas. She felt like she was fading away, but unlike before, she was calm now. She felt at ease. She was ready now.

Gradually she was overwhelmed by white noise and blackness.

* * *

Her eyes shot open.

A warm-lighted bulb of light hanging above her, blinding. The same white noise engulfing her surroundings. She closed her eyes again, unable to handle the setting pain on the back of her head. She stirred carefully, every muscle on her body aching. Something obstructed her right side and something poked at her arm. Where…? How…?

"Sarah? Oh, honey… Richard! Richard, hurry! She's awake!"

Sarah flinched as the screams of the woman pierced her ears. The room looked familiar… and then again, the voice sounded pretty familiar as well.

"Mom?" Sarah croaked, confused. It took a few seconds for her to adjust her eyesight. A woman with curly, short hair and pale, brown and heavy eyes stood at her side, her hand firmly clasped in hers.

"Yes, honey," she cried happily. "You're okay. I'm here now."

Was she dreaming again? She looked around and took notice of the hospital room's walls she had seen so many times now. The high-hanging TV, the visitors' couch.

Her father burst through the door and darted to her side. "Sarah," he said out of breath, taking his daughter's other hand. "You're okay," he said, kissing the back of it and not believing his own words. "You're alive."

Alive?

Images instantly started coursing through her at the speed of lightning, all too overwhelming to handle. Owen, Claire, Nat, Will, April, Maggie, Ethan, Joey… Connor. She trembled at the thoughts, her hand untangling from her mother's and hovering over her right side, reminiscing the pain inflicted.

"I think it would be best if we took it from here," said a voice from the doorway.

Erin Lindsay stood with arms crossed joined by Jay Halstead. They had stayed back for a few minutes, allowing Sarah's parents to have a moment to reconnect with their daughter.

"Of course, detective," Sarah's father said, pulling lightly at her wife's arm. Her mom caressed her face one more time before she got up and followed her husband out of the room. "We'll be right outside, okay?" she reassured.

"Sure, mom."

Once they were out, the atmosphere changed into a heavier one. Lindsay crossed the room and sat on one of the side chairs while Jay stood at the foot of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Erin asked, sympathetic.

"Honestly? Like I got shot," Sarah deadpanned. She sighed when she saw Erin's worried expression and shook her head briefly. "I'm sorry… It's just…"

"There's nothing to apologize for," Jay eased. "We're here to help you, Sarah. Please tell us what you remember."

Sarah looked away, finding his question suddenly overwhelming. She searched the room trying to find reassurance… answers to her state. She sighed and bit her lip, deep in thought. She felt tears beginning to burn her eyes with every passing second.

"Take your time," Erin insisted gently.

"I remember everything," Sarah choked out after a minute or two, finally turning to them.

The female detective nodded understandingly. "I know this is all too overwhelming right now, but I assume you have questions."

Sarah nodded, wiping the tears away from her face.

Erin slouched closer to her, her hands on her legs. She took a breath, before addressing the situation head on. "First of all, I want you to know that what you did was very brave. No matter what you're thinking right now, or what happened… not everyone does what you just did for their friends. On the other hand, it was reckless that you didn't come to us first. We're here to help you, and always will be. We wanted you to know that."

Sarah felt a hand on her knee and nodded. She knew that what she did was perhaps not that smart, but she felt like she had no choice whatsoever. She was not about to leave Owen to his luck like that.

"Where's Owen?"

"He's safe, with his parents. All thanks to you."

Sarah nodded. She gulped hard. "Joey?"

Erin looked down, slightly biting her lip. Sarah frowned at the sudden silence and reluctance to answer the question. Jay took notice of it too and spoke for her girlfriend.

"He's… dead."

Sarah felt like if she were pierced by ice. She frowned, looking at him disbelievingly, time suddenly slowing down. "What?"

"He was put down. It was self-defense," Jay said, serious, like if he were protecting himself from any backlash.

Sarah didn't say anything. She just kept looking at him like he had grown a second head. Joey was... _dead_? He was… killed?

"What do you mean dead? How did he… I mean… who…?" Sarah asked, flabbergasted.

"It was me," Erin said, finally looking up. Sarah looked at her, confused.

She sighed. "Connor and I arrived together to where you were. He tried to reanimate you… and I set off to find Joey. I searched for about twenty minutes until I found him running away from the Pier. He was armed and he shot at me when he heard I was coming. But he missed... and I shot back. I didn't miss."

Sarah took a few seconds to digest the news. Joey was _dead_. It was all over. He wouldn't be back to bother her anymore. It was all over at last. She didn't honestly know what to feel. She was relieved, but… at the expense of death? It was all too confusing. She couldn't eve register it on her mind.

Death. A simple word… yet so complicated. Gone forever. Disappeared.

She then met their gazes again, another question prodding eagerly on her mind.

"Where's Connor?"

"Resting. I said I'd call him the moment you got up, but…"

"But?"

Erin turned to Jay. "Could you leave us alone for a second?" she asked him softly.

Jay looked confused, yet nodded. "I'll be right outside if you need me," he said, squeezing Erin's shoulder gently.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked once Jay exited the room.

"Look, I know this is the last you want to hear right now, but there are a few things I need you to know before we proceed with the legal aspects of your case," Lindsay began cautiously. "You need to know that while you were unconscious you underwent a rape kit."

Sarah grew dead quiet, her saliva getting stuck in her throat. "But he… he didn't…"

"The results came back negative," Lindsay calmed her. "But Sarah I need you to tell me… did he sexually approach you? Did he in any way…?

"No," Sarah shook her head. "I mean he kissed me… but he never… no. It was all hitting and… and…"

"Torture," Erin finished for her.

Sarah nodded, unable to restrain the tears that escaped her. Erin nodded, apologetic. "I'm seriously so sorry. I wish I..." she closed her mouth when she felt emotion take over her. She had grown fond of Sarah and to think she had been hurt like that… the fear she must have felt… "I'm so sorry."

The opening of the door brought both out of their emotional state. Connor Rhodes stood up front, joined by everyone else: April, Ethan, Maggie, Nat and Will. Connor looked at Sarah like if he were seeing a ghost. Sarah stared back, unable to issue a word. She heard Maggie break into tears, followed by Nat. Will smiled at her direction, tears also forming on the corners of his eyes. Ethan smiled to her as well as he placed a hand on April's back when he heard her sigh heavily.

"Guys. Erin. Could you please leave us alone for a sec?" Connor said to them on automatic.

The detective nodded and smiled when she saw Jay behind them all, presumably responsible for them being here. She turned to Sarah again. "I'll come back later. Try to get some rest."

Sarah didn't reply as she watched her leave and closed the door behind Connor.

They were alone at last.

She felt… strange. Her heart began to beat faster like it did when they barely knew each other. She felt nervous all of the sudden as he approached her bedside slowly, not saying anything, his gaze fixated on her. Her chest rose and fell quicker when he sat beside her, her breath getting caught in her throat when she saw tears began to form in his eyes. She shook her head and stretched her hand to caress his hair, but was intercepted by his own hand.

He kissed the back of it, them her palm, her fingers. He then lowered it to approach her face and capture her lower lip gently between his. His kiss was soft… frightful to hurt her in any way. Both let out a breath once they drew apart slightly, inches of space between their faces. He kissed her cheek gently, her closed eyelids, her nose, her chin. Sarah felt her breath stop as he roamed her face with his lips, leaving ghosts of butterfly kisses.

Connor drew back considerably and caressed her face and neck with his hand, obliging her to keep her stare on him.

"I thought I had lost you, baby," he whispered.

Sarah shook her head when his voice broke. "I'm here because of you," she said warmly, but Connor clenched his jaw.

"I wasn't there on time. I could've stopped him… I could've-"

"Hey," Sarah stopped him, her own hand going to caress the side of his face. "We've been through this before. Taking the blame for things won't do any good. We're okay now. We're okay."

Connor didn't reply, he just stared at the ground. Sarah searched his eyes, but he didn't look back at her.

"Babe?"

"Why did you do it?" he lamented. "You should've called me…Erin… anyone… I thought…"

"I'm so sorry baby…"

"I made a promise to you I knew I couldn't keep. I promised I'd move on… that I'd be happy again. But I lied. I can't be happy unless I'm with you. I love you. Don't you understand that?" he said, visibly upset. He looked angry and hurt… and Sarah knew it was all because of how scared he felt.

She didn't reply but joined their foreheads together. They stayed like that for a few moments, both relishing in the fact that it was all over at last. That they had each other. That they were… free.

"I can't tell you how much I wanted to go after… _him._ I wanted to kill him. When I saw…"

"Saw what?"

Connor sighed, upset. "What he did to you."

Sarah's hand instantly went to her side. She remembered the branding. The pain and smell of burning flesh, the shock of the bullet wound. Her frightened look pulled at Connor's heartstrings.

"I can promise you one thing," he said, serious. "I won't let anyone hurt you again. I swear. I'll take care of you until the day I die. I'll protect you with everything that I am. I promise."

Sarah nodded, his words comforting her.

"I won't let you go," he whispered before he kissed her again. Sarah returned the kiss, her mind still elsewhere. She had been through so much… and healing would be a long process. But she was determined to work hard. She would get better.

Sarah intertwined their hands and felt the gold ring around his finger pressing against her own naked ones. Connor quickly dug into his pocket, retrieving a similar ring dangling from a chain. He pulled at the chain quickly until it broke, the ring standing on its own. He looked up at her, asking permission silently. She nodded with blurry vision as Connor slid said ring into her finger, both their hands now matching and holding the promise of a bright future together.

"I love you," Connor whispered. "I adore you, princess. You are everything to me. You are my light. You are the brightest star." He kissed her. "My sweet." He kissed her again. "My darling." He kissed her one last time. "My love." He drew back before piercing her eyes with his blue ones. "I'll love you forever."

Sarah looked down at their joined hands. "Forever," she echoed back before both finally engulfed in a passionate kiss.

There would be time for everything else. For explanations, hugs, good cries and laughter. There would be time to talk, to walk, to get back to work, to heal, to love, to live. She had time.

She was ALIVE.

* * *

**4 MONTHS LATER**

"No word from your dad, then?"

"Nope. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if he shows up at all."

It was a quiet Sunday morning at Connor's place, sunshine coming through the windows like a welcomed guest. Sarah was covered head to toe with sample invitations for their wedding as she rested on the couch, drinking a glass of cold orange juice and sorting them out. Connor dropped beside her, tired, and propping her feet on his lap as he ran down his hands across her pant-covered legs, soothing her.

"Careful, Doctor Rhodes," she warned dismissingly as his hands started getting higher when he got distracted.

Connor laughed. "How long until the wedding, again?"

"Two months. 60 long days. Think you can handle it?" she said through her reading glasses and arching her eyebrows playfully.

Connor smiled gently. "Oh, I can handle it."

Sarah grinned and lowered her feet until she was sitting on his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him lovingly as Connor's hands dragged across her sides gently. He stopped, though, when he came across the scars that adorned her side.

Sarah sighed and drew back. After all this time it was still hard for him.

"I love you," she said in a tone that told him that what had happened was definitely not his fault. She had to reassure him from time to time. Connor sighed and pursed his lips before he captured her bottom lip one last time.

"You're so hot when you wear glasses," Connor said in a sultry voice which was met by a laugh from her and a gentle smack on his arm. She was wearing pants, a messy ponytail and reading glasses. She was far from hot right now. She got back to arranging the invitations while Connor poked his head from above her shoulder, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist.

"So how are we doing over here?" he asked, kissing her shoulder.

"Well, we have to mail these to the Martinos, and these are for Claire's friend, Amanda."

"Why are we inviting Claire's friends again?"

"Because! She's one of my bridesmaids, she has every right to invite whoever she wants," Sarah argued, leaving no room for discussion.

"Fine," Connor sighed.

"I still can't believe you haven't reached your dad."

"You know we haven't spoken in a long while. I'd find it odd if he'd answered right away, honestly," Connor said as he looked through wedding brochures with a quizzical face.

"Are you upset about it?" Sarah said looking at him, adjusting her glasses.

"No," he said after a while. "I mean, sure, I'd like my dad to be at my wedding, but the only thing that matters is you and me. That's all I really care about."

Sarah nodded in thought and kissed his cheek before resuming her work.

The doorbell rang and both groaned at the thought of having to leave their positions.

"I'll get it," Connor sighed before briskly sweeping her fiancé off him and placing her gently on the other side of the couch. He leaned down as Sarah laughed and captured her lips between his own. He groaned again when he heard the second ring.

"I'm coming!" He opened the door and arched his eyebrow when he was met with Claire, April, Nat and Owen and Maggie carrying several bags of stuff and rushing right past him and making their way to where Sarah was.

"Well hello to you too…" he said as he followed them with his eyes. He then shook Will and Ethan's hands, who just now had become visible to him.

"What's going on?"

"We came to rescue you," Will said. "You, me and tiny right here," he motioned Ethan, who looked at him and shook his head, "are going golfing."

"Golfing!" Ethan said. "You told me we were going to a bar."

"You want to go to a bar at ten in the morning," Connor said to him disbelievingly. Now that he said it out loud, Ethan looked down, in thought.

"It doesn't matter where. It's all about leaving before this becomes operation bridezilla," Will said.

Meanwhile, the girls all flaunted around Sarah, who was surprised by their visit.

"So," Claire said as she placed scraps of magazines for them all to see. "What about having the reception here?"

"Woah…This looks… Nice," Nat said in awe as she looked through the pictures of a landscape facing the ocean.

"Yeah, but the cost, though…" April said in thought.

"I know someone who could help us out," Claire said simply. She then looked at Sarah. "Just say the word and it's yours for the wedding."

"Daaamn girl… remind me to always get on the good side of this woman," Maggie said surprised and everyone laughed.

"Oh! Guess who I ran into the other day!" April said excitedly.

"Who?" Sarah asked.

"Kyle. The guy from Maui"

"Oh, for Heaven's sake," Sarah said with a laugh as Nat and Maggie groaned.

"Who's Kyle?" Claire asked.

"Only April's summer crush," Nat said in a teen, girly voice.

April rolled her eyes playfully and ignored her. "He's in town because he has family here! What are the odds! And he remembered me! Well, he remembered all of us… and you, Sara! He was keen on all of us meeting… until I told him about the wedding. Haven't seen him since."

They all laughed but flinched when they heard the men laugh heartily as well at a joke Will said.

"Honestly, why do mean have to laugh so loud?" April said as she brushed them off and continued searching on her laptop.

"Teeeell me about it," Maggie said with a shake of her head.

Sarah just smiled at it all. Her gaze met Connor's from afar and time stopped for a moment. She felt unbelievingly happy and loved. He winked at her and she winked back before she resumed her talk about her wedding.

 _Her_ wedding.

Life couldn't be sweeter than it was at the moment… but she was wrong. In just a few months it was about to get sweeter.


	18. The Finding Out

**I'M BAAAAACK!**

**Sorry for letting you guys hanging with this story!** Hopefully **this can make things up a bit?**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Be sure to check this story on Wattpad and AO3!**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

_**1 YEAR LATER:** _

The day had finally arrived. Sarah looked at her reflection in the mirror, scanning for any sign of imperfection. The light color of her dress fabric brought her a sense of peace. She had been feeling uneasy for the past few nights, but today, the day that required every bit of her attention, she felt fine. In fact, she felt great. She added the last few touches to her hair, which she had managed to straighten and arrange into a fancy updo with Claire's help that same morning, and sighed at her own view.

She had changed, but so had many things around her. Still, she was glad about it. She was stronger. More aware.

"Sweetheart, we're going to be late", Connor said to her from the bottom of the stairwell. She hurried up fixing herself and quickly set her way towards the grand staircase.

There he was, in all his glory, looking up and awaiting her. He looked gorgeous: a black suit matching his perfectly combed hair, and a navy blue tie accentuating the color of his eyes. He had let his beard grow out a bit, but Sarah didn't mind at all. He was handsome as could be. He looked like a model, a celebrity of some sort…. Perhaps even a prince.

But he was more than that. God, so much more. She still had to pinch herself sometimes to make sure she was not living a dream.

He looked at her as if he had seen a goddess. His eyes and smile widened considerably once he took in her appearance. He extended his hand out to her as she descended the stairs carefully as to not trip with her gown. Once she reached his hand, he pulled her in for a hug and spun her around lightly.

Sarah let out a joyful laugh once he set her down. Connor placed a light kiss on her temple and intertwined her arm in his.

"You look ravishing today, Mrs. Rhodes".

Sarah rolled her eyes, a chill running down her back at the huskiness of his voice. It's not that she didn't enjoy hearing her new name. In fact, she loved it… but it made her feel old and Connor knew it, and since had non-stop teased her about it.

She whacked him on the ribs lightly with her handbag as he laughed at her feigned, shocked expression. Once he quieted down, he placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him fully. She loved this, being able to kiss him wherever and whenever. No more hiding, no more pretending, and without anyone trying to stop them.

Connor sighed once she broke up the kiss. Sarah could see the adoration in his eyes, which she mirrored back. They were in love. So much so, Sarah feared one day her heart would burst.

"Shall we, my queen?" Connor bowed to her.

"We shall, my king", Sarah mocked back with a curtsy. They both laughed and they entered Connor's black Dodge Challenger, enjoying each other's company.

This past few months had been wonderful: they had gotten married on Maui eight months ago. Sarah had graduated school and was now officially a doctor, and was now beginning her residency under Doctor Charles's guidance to become a psychiatrist. Connor had sold his old apartment and they had bought a house, which was much closer to the hospital, and happened to be near Claire's estate. Connor had also been promoted to head cardiologist on GCMC, which happened to bring an excellent reputation to his name.

Sarah felt blessed about it all. She was living the life of her dreams with the man of her dreams.

Yet not everything had been bliss.

Connor's father had never shown up at the wedding. Connor hadn't minded, but Sarah had felt a bit disappointed by the fact that his father wanted nothing to do with his son. Claire still kept in contact with him, but it had started to fade since she and Connor had gotten closer as siblings.

Sarah still had continuous nightmares about what had happened at Navy Pier, which sometimes interfered with her work quality. Connor had always been supportive and protective of her and sometimes found himself tending to her throughout the night. Nighttime could be a complete drain for her, and it didn't help at all that she felt guilty that Connor wasted hours of sleep to watch over her.

Nonetheless, Sarah chose not to focus on the bad. She had a lot of things to be grateful for, and she was not going to let anything or anyone keep her from enjoying her blessings. She had been working again with Alice Clark, her psychologist, to deal with what had happened with Joey. She had gotten surgery to remove the ugly scar on her abdomen, and she had come to terms with the man's death. After a year of it all, she was finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Once Sarah and Connor had pulled up at the venue, they instantly spotted Maggie and April, who were all over the place making sure that everything was perfect. Sarah felt awestruck by the look of the place: yesterday it had looked so normal, and now she felt as if she were on a majestic and beautiful kept castle. Flowers adorned every corner, and ribbons soared from one pillar to the other in a gallant way. Rose petals revolved at their feet with the gush of the wind, making everything even more magical.

Once Sarah caught Maggie's eye, the older woman began marching right at her, followed by an exhausted April.

"Where. On. Earth. Have. You. Been." Maggie said through a fake smile as she tried to not break into a hysterical fit. April looked at Sarah, stressed. She probably had endured Maggie's demands and orders throughout the whole morning, and Sarah couldn't help but find the situation hilarious.

"Relax, Maggie, we had to stop on the way to pick up more flowers, but I see you've done a great work. Besides, we're early, aren't we?" Sarah asked Connor, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Right", he said instantly, agreeing with his wife, but fearing any outburst from Maggie.

"Never mind that! Connor, you better get going", said Maggie grabbing his arm and practically throwing him into the direction he was supposed to go. "Ethan got here hours ago, and Will seems like he's having a nervous breakdown".

"He's not the only one", April whispered to Sarah looking straight at Maggie's direction. "If she ever gets married, I'll be needing a LONG vacation from that Bridezilla".

"Alright you two!" said Maggie turning around before Sarah could let out a laugh. "Nat needs us, we must get to her quickly."

Once they reached Nat, Sarah stood at the entrance: She looked beautiful. She always did, but now more than ever. Her white dress fell graciously and hugged her form just lightly, but what seemed to bring everyone's attention to her was her glowing smile. She was radiantly happy, Sarah could tell.

Owen came in sight and hugged her mother's leg through her dress, demanding to be picked up. She picked him up and played with him a few seconds, before taking in Maggie's appearance.

"Don't worry, Nat, everything is under control. Everything is going to go out perfectly", Maggie said fanning herself. She seriously looked like she was going to pass out.

Natalie's gaze met Sarah and both rolled their eyes humorously. "Mags, why don't you sit down for a second? You're going to pass out", Nat laughed.

"Yeah", she said out of breath. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. A drink too, maybe…" she said to herself as she exited the room debating if it was okay with herself to drink at this hour of the morning.

April rolled her eyes with a smile and approached Nat, holding the doctor's hands on her own once she had let Owen down. The little boy trotted straight to Sarah, and she picked him up and spun him around, making him giggle. Sarah adored him, and she could tell Owen liked her too.

"How are you feeling?" April asked Nat.

Natalie sighed, a nervous smile on her face. "I'm okay… it's just… I can't believe today is the day", she said laughing, and April joined her.

"What?" Owen asked Sarah curiously. She laughed at his short question. He was still two years old after all.

"Well, mommy and daddy are getting married, aren't you so excited?" Sarah asked him excitedly, which made him excited.

"Yeah!" he said, throwing a little fist pump in the air. Everyone laughed, but more so at the fact that Owen couldn't even begin to understand what this day meant for his parents. Will was finally becoming his official legal guardian… and his father. And Nat couldn't feel happier about it, and about sharing the rest of her life with Will. Of course, Will would never replace Owen's dad, but Nat was more than okay with his son having a father, more so if it was Will.

A knock on the door was heard and Ethan's head popped behind it.

"Ladies, it's time". He then turned to Owen. "Hey, buddy, why don't you come with me so you can see daddy?"

Owen began fluttering excitedly in Sarah's arms so she let him down, watching as he quickly followed Ethan out of the room.

Nat started to breathe heavily, beginning to get nervous. A mix of emotions washed over her, and she looked at Sarah for reassurance.

"Relax", Sarah instructed as she came towards her. "Everything is going to go perfectly. You look beautiful, and everyone is here for you and Will."

Nat nodded at her with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

"Since when did you become so wise?" she managed to tease as everyone got ready to head out the door.

"Since I became Mrs. Rhodes", she laughed and grabbed the tail of the other girl's dress, ready to play her part, and ready to witness the exchange of love about to unfold.

* * *

The wedding had been a blatant success. Everyone was now dancing and enjoying the music and the good company of the people. Sarah had just been with Dr. Charles, discussing a few things from work before heading back to Connor.

That's when she felt it again. The weird feeling that she had felt earlier that morning. She had said nothing about it, but now she felt it stronger than before. She stopped walking to pay attention to her body. She couldn't quite figure out what she was feeling, but she still felt… strange.

"Sarah? Are you okay?" Claire's voice said from behind her. She looked genuinely concerned for her, so Sarah drew a smile to calm her down.

"It's nothing. I think I'm coming down with a cold", she whined slightly and Claire laughed, handing her a drink.

"A doctor with a cold. Now that's a strange thing to have in mind," she laughed as she intertwined their arms and walked back to the party.

Nat and Will were still dancing, Owen between them as they enjoyed their first moments as an official family. April and Ethan danced together as well and seemed to be having a good time altogether. Maggie kept laughing hysterically about something with Goodwin and Claire waved Sarah goodbye so she could rejoin her date.

She kept staring from afar at her family with a grin on her face, which morphed into a startled jolt once she felt Connor's hands wrapped around her stomach.

"I didn't scare you, did I?" Connor asked subtly as he kissed her neck. Sarah gulped and shook her head slightly as she felt her sanity leave her mind. Once Connor deepened his kisses, she placed a hand on his forearm.

"Babe, stop".

"Why?" He ignored her and continued to show his devotion to his wife.

"Because!" Sarah laughed. "My boss is right there and I don't think it's appropriate".

Connor sighed, feigning annoyance.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart". He said, kissing her lips quickly. "But you owe me", he winked at her.

"You're incorrigible", Sarah rolled her eyes, amused.

"And you're beautiful, darling", he said as he took her hand, spun her around, and led her to the dance floor.

They danced until it the sky was dark. It had been a while since Sarah had had this much fun, surrounded by the people she loved most. But all good things came to an end, and this was no exception. She felt exhausted, and couldn't wait to head home and relax.

She still swayed to a slow song, wrapped in Connor's arms, only they and the bride and groom still on the dance floor. Nat's mother-in-law had offered to watch over Owen for Nat and Will to enjoy their trip to the Bahamas, and she had left early in the afternoon. Maggie and April had also left, wanting to be well rested for the arduous work that awaited them at the hospital the next day.

Both Sarah and Connor had a lot of work for tomorrow as well, but they simply enjoyed one another, both unable to move from their peaceful positions.

"You're tired", Connor said to her as she yawned. Sarah shook her head in denial and he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Let's go home, baby".

Sarah finally relented. They had said their goodbyes to Will and Nat and now were on their way back home on Connor's car.

When they arrived, Sarah lit some candles and ran herself a bath while she enjoyed a good book and a glass of wine. It was not her usual night routine, but she felt that a day as good as this deserved a good ending.

Her hair was picked up in a messy bun as she relaxed in the rose water, a few droplets tickling the back of her neck as she focused on the book at hand. She was so focused, she didn't hear Connor come in and kneel behind her. She only noticed his presence when he started massing her shoulders, relieving any kind of tension off of them.

Sarah sighed, content, the book now long forgotten.

"I love you," she said, her eyes closed as she relaxed into the attention of her husband.

Connor leaned closer and kissed her right shoulder. "I love you too".

Their faces were close and finally blue met brown. An electric current connected them. It was something that Sarah had experienced before but never like this. Connor was special. Love connected their souls.

Sarah finally arched her neck and kissed him slowly, but intensely, which he reciprocated. They were in love. And no worry or trouble could ever change that.

* * *

A few hours later, Sarah got up from their bed, hurrying just in time to empty the alcohol that just recently had been on her stomach on the toilet. She dry-heaved for a few more seconds before calming down.

She flushed the toilet and managed to get up from her weak position. Thankfully, she had not woken Connor up.

She cleaned herself up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked exhausted, sweat beginning to set on her forehead. She adjusted her hair in a bun and grabbed a robe to cover her tank top and shorts from the wind current that flowed from the bathroom window.

Why did she feel so weird? Had she caught a virus? But how could she? Connor would too be sick if she had by now.

Unless…

Realization hit her.

No. But that couldn't be the reason. Could it? I mean it could be… but… it was way too early. Surely it was something else. Not  _that..._ Right?

Sarah shook her head, her legs trembling as she drew open their medicine cabinet.

_"_ _I mean, I might as well try…"_ she said to herself. There was no point to it, though. So what if her period was a little late. No big deal. There was no need to get all worked up about it. Her periods had always been irregular anyway.

Still, the result from the plastic stick told her otherwise. And so did the result of the second test. And the third. And the fourth.

Sarah stood in shock as she looked at the results at hand: they all marked plus signs. She blinked hard a few times and looked back again. She wasn't dreaming. This was real. She didn't know what to think or what to do.

All she knew was that she was pregnant.

* * *

**Let me know your thoughts on this one!**


End file.
